hole

hole · noun, verb¹

1. Proto-Germanic*hulaz
2. Proto-Germanic*hulą
3. Proto-West Germanic*hol
4. Old Englishhol
5. Middle Englishhole
6. English todayhole

Inherited from Middle English hole, hol, from Old English hol (“orifice, hollow place, cavity”), from Proto-West Germanic *hol (“hole”), from Proto-Germanic *hulą (“hollow space, cavity”), noun derivative of Proto-Germanic *hulaz (“hollow”), which is of uncertain ultimate origin. Related to hollow. Cognate with Dutch, Faroese, and Icelandic hol (“hole”), Danish hul (“hole”), Faroese, Icelandic, and Norn hola (“hole”), Norwegian Bokmål hol (“depression, hole, cavern”), Swedish hål (“hole”), French houle (“swell of water”). Compare unrelated Finnish kolo (“hole”).

Hole · proper noun²

1. Dutch · derived fromvan Hole
2. Old Norse · derived fromhóll“round hill, mound”
3. Norwegian · borrowed fromHole
4. Proto-Germanic · derived from*hulwiją
5. Proto-West Germanic · derived from*hulwī
6. Old English · derived fromholh“hole”
7. English todayHole

Various origins: * English topographic surname for someone who lived by a depression, from Old English holh (“hole”), from Proto-West Germanic *hulwī, from Proto-Germanic *hulwiją. * Borrowed from Norwegian Hole, a habitational surname from Old Norse hóll (“round hill, mound”). * Shortened form of Dutch van Hole, a habitational surname from hol (“hole, depression, cavity”).

Words from the same roots