*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of Paul

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *peh₂w-der.? Latin paulus Latin Pauluslbor. English Paul Learned borrowing from Latin Paulus, from paulus (“small”). Doublet of Pablo and Paolo.

1 source sectionExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 1 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗
name

In the New Testament, the Christian Apostle to the Gentiles and the author of fourteen epistles, born Saul of Tarsus. · A male given name from Latin [in turn originating from the Bible], feminine equivalent Paula, Paulette, Paulina, and Pauline · A surname originating as a patronymic. · An unincorporated community in Conecuh County, Alabama, United States, named after Paul the Apostle.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *peh₂w-der.? Latin paulus Latin Pauluslbor. English Paul Learned borrowing from Latin Paulus, from paulus (“small”). Doublet of Pablo and Paolo.

This page abbreviates 4 auxiliary source items. The etymology narrative is not shortened. Omission counts are available in the audit fields below; consult the original for complete auxiliary material.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":lbor",
        "3": "la:Paulus",
        "text": "2",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nProto-Indo-European *peh₂w-der.?\nLatin paulus\nLatin Pauluslbor.\nEnglish Paul\n[Appendix:Glossary#learned_borrowing|Learned borrowing]] from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"gloss\" : \"small\", \"children\" : [ { \"keyword_abbrev\" : \"der.\", \"is_uncertain\" : true, \"keyword_label\" : \"Derived from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"few\", \"children\" : [ ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*peh₂w-\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"derived\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Latin\", \"term\" : \"paulus\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"la\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"keyword\" : \"from\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Latin\", \"term\" : \"Paulus\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"la\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"lbor\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"Paul\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"Paul\">\nLearned borrowing from Latin Paulus, from paulus (“small”)."
    },
    {
      "name": "dbt",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "Pablo",
        "3": "Paolo"
      },
      "expansion": "Doublet of Pablo and Paolo"
    },
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":lbor",
        "3": "la:Paulus",
        "text": "2",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nProto-Indo-European *peh₂w-der.?\nLatin paulus\nLatin Pauluslbor.\nEnglish Paul\nLearned borrowing from Latin Paulus, from paulus (“small”)."
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "*peh₂w-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/peh₂w-#Proto-Indo-European:_few"
    ],
    [
      "paulus",
      "paulus#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "Paulus",
      "Paulus#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "Paulus",
      "Paulus#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "paulus",
      "paulus#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "Pablo",
      "Pablo#English"
    ],
    [
      "Paolo",
      "Paolo#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "name",
      "glosses": [
        "In the New Testament, the Christian Apostle to the Gentiles and the author of fourteen epistles, born Saul of Tarsus.",
        "A male given name from Latin [in turn originating from the Bible], feminine equivalent Paula, Paulette, Paulina, and Pauline",
        "A surname originating as a patronymic.",
        "An unincorporated community in Conecuh County, Alabama, United States, named after Paul the Apostle."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "a1bb5372bcd8aa54a674fef153bab6a35210596384beb01129957bf837a825a7",
      "rawRecordSha256": "caf7a317ab853ec913163bfbaa13da7640c1c3de1c15ab26e86facd6c66ac7e4",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 190474
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 4,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for Paul →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-UGF1bA