callow

callow · adjective, noun¹

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*kl̥H-“bald; naked”
2. Latin · derived fromcalvus“bald”
3. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*gol(H)-wo-“bald; bare, naked”
4. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*kalwaz“bald; bare, naked”
5. Proto-West Germanic · inherited from*kalu
6. Old English · inherited fromcalu
7. Middle English · inherited fromcalwe“(adjective) bald; (noun) bald person”
8. English todaycallow

From Middle English calwe (“(adjective) bald; (noun) bald person”), from Old English calu, caluw (“without hair, bald, callow”), from Proto-West Germanic *kalu, from Proto-Germanic *kalwaz (“bald; bare, naked”), and then either: * from Proto-Indo-European *gol(H)-wo- (“bald; bare, naked”), from *gelH- (“head; naked”); or * from Latin calvus (“bald”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kl̥H- (“bald; naked”). If not borrowed from Latin, Grimm’s law indicates that the Latin word is likely a false cognate, along with Persian کل (kal) and Sanskrit कुल्व (kulvá). cognates * Dutch kaal (“bald”) * German kahl (“bald”) * German Low German kahl (“bald”) * Russian го́лый (gólyj, “bare, naked, nude”) * Swedish kal, kalka (“bald”) * West Frisian keal (“bald”)

callow · adjective, noun²

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*(s)kel-“to cut, hew”
2. Proto-Germanic · derived from*halluz“boulder, rock, stone”
3. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*ḱlH-eto-“cold”
4. Proto-Celtic · derived from*kaletos“cruel; hard; strong”
5. Old Irish · derived fromcalad“shore, landing, port”
6. Irish · derived fromcaladh“meadow by a riverbank”
7. English todaycallow

From Irish caladh (“meadow by a riverbank”), from Old Irish calad (“shore, landing, port”), probably a noun use of calad (“hard”, adjective), from Proto-Celtic *kaletos (“cruel; hard; strong”), possibly from Proto-Indo-European *ḱlH-eto- (“cold”) (in the sense of something frozen and thus hard), from an unclear root *ḱl(H)- or *kl(H)- (“hard”); or related to Proto-Germanic *halluz (“boulder, rock, stone”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kel- (“to cut, hew”). Perhaps influenced by Etymology 1 in some manner.

Words from the same roots