Where does “pinball” come from?
pinball (Portuguese) comes from English pinball, from English Ball, from Middle English bal, from Old English beall, from English beal, from Old English hyll, from Albanian hulli, from Proto-Germanic hulliz — to rise, to be tall; hill.
pinball (Portuguese): pinball
Ancestry of “pinball”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | pinball | A game, played on a device with a sloping base,... |
| 2 | English | Ball | surname |
| 3 | Middle English | bal | A ball; A rounded or spherical lump or bump,... |
| 4 | Old English | beall | ball |
| 5 | English | beal | A small inflammatory tumor; pustule; To gather... |
| 6 | Old English | hyll | hill |
| 7 | Albanian | hulli | furrow |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | hulliz | hill |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | kl̥Hnís | hill |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | kelH- | to rise, to be tall; hill |