Etymology

awl

A1W4L1

Today it means: A pointed instrument for piercing small holes, as in leather or wood; used by shoemakers, saddlers, cabinetmakers, etc. The blade is differently shaped and pointed for different uses, as in the brad awl, saddler's awl, shoemaker's awl, etc. Full definition →

Middle English aul ← Old English æl ← Proto-West Germanic *al
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The story

  1. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*ahwalaz“fork, hook”
  2. Proto-West Germanic · inherited from*ahwal
  3. Proto-Indo-European · inherited from*h₁ólos
  4. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*alaz
  5. Proto-West Germanic · inherited from*al
  6. Old English · inherited fromæl
  7. Middle English · inherited fromaul
  8. English todayawl

From Middle English aul, alle, al, from Old English æl, from Proto-West Germanic *al, from Proto-Germanic *alaz, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁ólos. Cognate with Saterland Frisian Äil (“awl”), Dutch aal (“awl”), German Low German Ahl (“awl”), German Ahle (“awl”), Icelandic alur (“awl”). Spelling was influenced by the Old English synonym awel, awul (“awl”), from Proto-West Germanic *ahwal, from Proto-Germanic *ahwalaz (“fork, hook”), of unknown origin. Doublet of elsen.

Words from the same roots

Proto-West Germanic*al all →

eel

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.