angle

angle · noun¹

1. Proto-Indo-European*h₂eng-
2. Proto-Indo-European*h₂engulos
3. Proto-Italic*angulos
4. Latinangulus
5. Middle Frenchangle
6. Middle Englishangle
7. English todayangle

From Middle English angle, angul, angule, borrowed from Middle French angle, from Latin angulus, anglus (“corner, remote area”). Cognate with Old High German ancha (“nape of the neck”), Middle High German anke (“joint of the foot, nape of neck”). Doublet of angulus and ankle.

angle · verb²

1. Proto-Indo-European*h₂eng-
2. Proto-Indo-European*h₂engulos
3. Proto-Italic*angulos
4. Latinangulus
5. Middle Frenchangle
6. Middle Englishangle
7. Middle Englishanglen
8. English todayangle

From Middle English anglen (“to meet at an angle, converge”), from the noun (see above).

angle · noun³

1. Proto-Indo-European*h₂enk-
2. Proto-Germanic*angulaz
3. Proto-West Germanic*angul
4. Old Englishangol
5. Middle Englishangel
6. English todayangle

From Middle English angel (“fishhook”), from Old English angel (“hook, fishhook”), from Proto-West Germanic *angul, from Proto-Germanic *angulaz (“hook”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂enk- (“to make crooked, bend”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian Ongle (“fishhook; fishing pole”), West Frisian angel (“fishing rod, stinger”), Dutch angel (“fishhook”), German Angel (“fishing pole”), Luxembourgish Aangel (“fishing rod”), Icelandic öngull (“fishhook”), Norwegian Nynorsk angel, ongel, ongul (“fishhook”), Swedish angel (“pike hook”), Prasuni uku (“shoulder”).

angle · verb⁴

1. Proto-Indo-European*h₂enk-
2. Proto-Germanic*angulaz
3. Proto-West Germanic*angul
4. Proto-West Germanic*anglōn
5. Old English*anglian?
6. Middle Englishanglen
7. English todayangle

From Middle English anglen (“to fish, fish with a hook”, literally “to fish-hook”), perhaps from Old English *anglian, from Proto-West Germanic *anglōn (“to hook”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian ongelje (“to fish, angle”), Dutch hengelen (“to fish, angle”), German Low German angeln (“to fish, angle”), German angeln (“to fish, angle”).

Angle · noun⁵

1. Proto-Germanic · derived from*anguz
2. Latin · derived fromAnglus
3. English todayAngle

Borrowed from Latin Anglus, in turn borrowed from a Germanic source (compare Old English Ængle/Engle (“Angle”)). Probably derived from the toponym Angle, related to Proto-Germanic *anguz "narrow, tight; tapering", either indicating the "narrow" water (i.e. the Schlei estuary), or the shape of the peninsula. Folk etymology linking the word to English angel or any antecedents is demonstrably false.

Words from the same roots