Etymology

yelp

Y4E1L1P3

Today it means: An abrupt, high-pitched noise or utterance. Full definition →

Middle English ȝelp ← Old English ġielp ← Proto-West Germanic *gelp
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yelp · noun1

  1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*gʰel-“to shout”
  2. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*gelpą“boasting”
  3. Proto-West Germanic · inherited from*gelp
  4. Old English · inherited fromġielp“boasting, arrogance, pride”
  5. Middle English · inherited fromȝelp
  6. English todayyelp

From Middle English ȝelp, yelp, from Old English ġielp (“boasting, arrogance, pride”), from Proto-West Germanic *gelp, from Proto-Germanic *gelpą (“boasting”), from Proto-Indo-European *gʰel- (“to shout”).

yelp · verb2

  1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*gʰel‑“to call, shout, scream”
  2. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*gelpaną“to sound off, boast”
  3. Proto-West Germanic · inherited from*gelpan
  4. Old English · inherited fromġielpan“to boast”
  5. Middle English · inherited fromȝelpen
  6. English todayyelp

From Middle English ȝelpen, yelpen, from Old English ġielpan (“to boast”), from Proto-West Germanic *gelpan, from Proto-Germanic *gelpaną (“to sound off, boast”), from Proto-Indo-European *gʰel‑ (“to call, shout, scream”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian jalpe, galpe (“to bleep; cheep”), German Low German galpen (“to scream, shriek, howl”), Middle High German gelpfen, gelpfen (“to roar, howl, bark, boast, sing loudly”).

Words from the same roots

Proto-Indo-European*gʰel- all →

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Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.