wallydraigle

The story

1. Old English · inherited fromdragan“to draw; to pull”
2. Scots · borrowed fromwally
3. English todaywallydraigle

Precise etymology is unclear. Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary suggests the word may come from Scots wally, a variant of wallaway, an interjection expressing woe. The Oxford English Dictionary agrees that the word is Scots, and suggests that the source of the second element is Scots draigle or English drag, both derived from Old English dragan (“to draw; to pull”). The term is attested since the 16th century.

Words from the same roots