English word origin

Etymology of cole

From Middle English cole, col, from Old English cawel, an early Germanic borrowing from Latin caulis (“cabbage”). Cognate with Dutch kool, German Kohl, Danish kål, Norwegian Bokmål kål, Norwegian Nynorsk kål, Swedish kål

3 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 3 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.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗

noun

Cabbage. · Brassica; a plant of the Brassica genus, especially those of Brassica oleracea (rape and coleseed).

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

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inherited-form mentioncoleenm
Inherited-form mentioncawelang
Derivation mentioncaulisla
Cognate mentionkoolnl
Cognate mentionKohlde
Cognate mentionkålda
Cognate mentionkålnb
Cognate mentionkålnn
Cognate mentionkålsv
Doublet mentioncaulisen
Doublet mentiongobien
Doublet mentionkaleen

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "wp",
      "args": {},
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "interproject-box",
      "args": {
        "sisterclass": "wikispecies",
        "logo": "Wikispecies-logo.svg",
        "intro": "Wikispecies has information on",
        "link": "Brassica"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "wikispecies",
      "args": {
        "1": "Brassica"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "etymid",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "cabbage"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "cole"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English cole"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "cawel"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English cawel"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "caulis",
        "4": "",
        "5": "cabbage"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin caulis (“cabbage”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "nl",
        "2": "kool"
      },
      "expansion": "Dutch kool"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "de",
        "2": "Kohl"
      },
      "expansion": "German Kohl"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "da",
        "2": "kål"
      },
      "expansion": "Danish kål"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "nb",
        "2": "kål"
      },
      "expansion": "Norwegian Bokmål kål"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "nn",
        "2": "kål"
      },
      "expansion": "Norwegian Nynorsk kål"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "sv",
        "2": "kål"
      },
      "expansion": "Swedish kål"
    },
    {
      "name": "doublet",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "caulis",
        "3": "gobi",
        "4": "kale"
      },
      "expansion": "Doublet of caulis, gobi, and kale"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "cole",
      "cole#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "col",
      "col#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "cawel",
      "cawel#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "caulis",
      "caulis#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "kool",
      "kool#Dutch"
    ],
    [
      "Kohl",
      "Kohl#German"
    ],
    [
      "kål",
      "kål#Danish"
    ],
    [
      "kål",
      "kål#Norwegian_Bokmål"
    ],
    [
      "kål",
      "kål#Norwegian_Nynorsk"
    ],
    [
      "kål",
      "kål#Swedish"
    ],
    [
      "caulis",
      "caulis#English"
    ],
    [
      "gobi",
      "gobi#English"
    ],
    [
      "kale",
      "kale#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "Cabbage.",
        "Brassica; a plant of the Brassica genus, especially those of Brassica oleracea (rape and coleseed)."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "uncountable",
        "usually"
      ],
      "recordId": "a4b5a2142222380904228f92d71033fd996d18010834cc9d88884bc226c3cacd",
      "rawRecordSha256": "03699409c50a91a06f8c5736451d8dc6ec05a6099a5b27c4991c29b78dc567e1",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 228800
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

noun

A stack or stook of hay.

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

No narrative was extracted for this section. Available source templates and references appear below; no ancestor chain has been invented to fill the gap.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "etymid",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "hay"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    }
  ],
  "links": [],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A stack or stook of hay."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Scotland"
      ],
      "recordId": "d3a7b2d9aed9ff74e091b62ebf034de4c680e8699efe7c3370df1aa96319fd77",
      "rawRecordSha256": "f5ee31b3ca608f39442d7139d40fed994e1e56f1abe55cf52ac4ecf1fd66d154",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 228801
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 3

Original entry ↗

noun

Obsolete form of coal.

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

No narrative was extracted for this section. Available source templates and references appear below; no ancestor chain has been invented to fill the gap.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "etymid",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "coal"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    }
  ],
  "links": [],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "Obsolete form of coal."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "alt-of",
        "countable",
        "obsolete",
        "uncountable"
      ],
      "recordId": "074f53a18665629e1a94e442e754004b735af4164855b1fc2769b5feb01db7c8",
      "rawRecordSha256": "34fbd04ca1015eea97d4c0aa9536609590b9d08210b2be706565c759fee3019d",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 228802
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "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 cole →

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-Y29sZQ