Where does “holly” come from?
holly (Yola) comes from Middle English holy, from Middle English hole, from Old English hol, from Proto-West Germanic hol, from Proto-Germanic hulą, from Proto-Germanic hulaz, from Proto-Indo-European ḱel- — to cover; to incline.
holly (Yola): holy
Definitions
- holy
Ancestry of “holly”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | holy | Dedicated to or separated for a religious... |
| 2 | Middle English | hole | healthy; safe; whole, complete, full |
| 3 | Old English | hol | a hole, a hollow; calumny; slander |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | hol | hollow; hole |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | hulą | a hollow; depression; hole |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | hulaz | hollow |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱel- | to cover; to incline |