Etymology

heel

H4E1E1L1

Today it means: The rear part of the foot, where it joins the leg. Full definition →

First used 16th c.Middle English hele ← Old English hēla ← Proto-West Germanic *hą̄hilō
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heel · noun, verb1

  1. Proto-Germanic · derived from*hanhaz“heel, hock”
  2. Proto-Germanic · derived from*hanhilaz
  3. Proto-West Germanic · inherited from*hą̄hilō
  4. Old English · inherited fromhēla
  5. Middle English · inherited fromhele
  6. English todayheel

From Middle English hele, from Old English hēla, from Proto-West Germanic *hą̄hilō, from Proto-Germanic *hanhilaz, diminutive of Proto-Germanic *hanhaz (“heel, hock”), equivalent to hock + -le. More at hock. Compare North Frisian haiel, West Frisian hyl, Dutch hiel, German Low German Hiel, Danish and Norwegian hæl, Swedish häl.

heel · verb, noun2

  1. Old English · inherited fromhyldan
  2. Middle English · inherited fromhelden
  3. English todayheel

Probably inferred from hielded, the past tense of hield, from Middle English helden, heelden, from Old English hyldan, hieldan (“to incline”), cognate with Old Norse hella (“to pour out”) (whence Danish hælde (“lean, pour”)).

heel · verb3

See hele (“conceal, keep secret, cover”).

Words from the same roots

Old Englishhēla all →

hallo

Proto-Germanic*hanhaz all →

houghhockMinto

First known use, by meaning

  • from 16th c. To incline to one side; to tilt.
  • from 17th c. The act of inclining or canting from a vertical position; a cant.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.