Etymology

wheelchairbound

W4H4E1E1L1C3H4A1I1R1B3O1U1N1D2

Today it means: Needing a wheelchair consistently (as contrasted with using one sometimes but not always). Full definition →

English bound ← Middle English bownde ← Old Norse búinn
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The story

  1. Proto-Indo-European*kʷelh₁-redup.
  2. Proto-Indo-European*kʷekʷléh₂
  3. Proto-Germanic*hweulō
  4. Old Englishhwēol
  5. Middle Englishwhel
  6. Englishwheel
  7. Proto-Indo-European*ḱe?
  8. Proto-Indo-European*ḱóm
  9. Proto-Indo-European*ḱm̥-th₂der.?
  10. Proto-Hellenic*kətá
  11. Ancient Greekκατά (katá)
  12. Proto-Indo-European*sed-
  13. Proto-Indo-European*sedreh₂
  14. Proto-Hellenic*hédrā
  15. Ancient Greekἕδρα (hédra)
  16. Ancient Greekκᾰθέδρᾱ (kăthédrā)
  17. Latincathedra
  18. Old Frenchchaiere
  19. Middle Englishchayere
  20. Englishchair
  21. Englishwheelchair
  22. Proto-Indo-European*bʰuH-
  23. Proto-Germanic*būaną
  24. Old Norsebúinn
  25. Middle Englishbownde
  26. Englishbound
  27. English todaywheelchairbound

From wheelchair + -bound.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.