Etymology

hotline

H4O1T1L1I1N1E1

Today it means: A telephone line that is always staffed and able to give immediate assistance. Full definition →

English line ← Middle English line ← Old English līne
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The story

  1. Proto-Indo-European*keHy-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*dʰeh₁-
  3. Proto-Indo-European*kéHidʰeti
  4. Proto-Indo-European*kéHidos
  5. Proto-Germanic*haitaz
  6. Proto-West Germanic*hait
  7. Old Englishhāt
  8. Middle Englishhot
  9. Englishhot
  10. Proto-Indo-European*līno-der.?
  11. Proto-Germanic*līną
  12. Proto-Germanic*līnǭ
  13. Proto-West Germanic*līnā
  14. Old Englishlīne
  15. Middle Englishline
  16. Englishline
  17. English todayhotline

From hot + line.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.