Etymology

eyesalve

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Today it means: An ointment for the eye. Full definition →

Middle English eȝhe-salfe ← Old English ēagsealf ← Proto-West Germanic *augasalbā
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The story

  1. Proto-West Germanic · inherited from*augasalbā“eye-salve”
  2. Old English · inherited fromēagsealf“eye-salve”
  3. Middle English · inherited fromeȝhe-salfe
  4. English todayeyesalve

From Middle English eȝhe-salfe, from Old English ēagsealf (“eye-salve”), from Proto-West Germanic *augasalbā (“eye-salve”), equivalent to eye + salve. Cognate with Dutch ogenzalf (“eyesalve”), German Augensalbe (“eyesalve”), Swedish ögonsalva (“eyesalve”).

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.