Etymology of awl

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 ↗

noun

A pointed instrument for piercing small holes, as in leather or wood; used by shoemakers, saddlers, cabinetmakers, etc. The blade is differently shaped and pointed for different uses, as in the brad awl, saddler's awl, shoemaker's awl, etc. · Any of various hesperiid butterflies.

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

From Middle English aul, alle, al, from Old English æl, from Proto-West Germanic *al, from Proto-Germanic *alaz, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁ólos. Cognate with Saterland Frisian Äil (“awl”), Dutch aal (“awl”), German Low German Ahl (“awl”), German Ahle (“awl”), Icelandic alur (“awl”). Spelling was influenced by the Old English synonym awel, awul (“awl”), from Proto-West Germanic *ahwal, from Proto-Germanic *ahwalaz (“fork, hook”), of unknown origin. Doublet of elsen.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

Inherited-form mentionaulenm
Inherited-form mentionælang
Inherited-form mention*algmw-pro
Inherited-form mention*alazgem-pro
Inherited-form mention*h₁ólosine-pro
Cognate mentionÄilstq · awl
Cognate mentionaalnl · awl
Cognate mentionAhlede · awl
Cognate mentionaluris · awl
Inherited-form mention*ahwalgmw-pro
Inherited-form mention*ahwalazgem-pro · fork, hook
Doublet mentionelsenen

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "aul"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English aul"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "æl"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English æl"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gmw-pro",
        "3": "*al"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-West Germanic *al"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*alaz"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *alaz"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*h₁ólos"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Indo-European *h₁ólos"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "stq",
        "2": "Äil",
        "t": "awl"
      },
      "expansion": "Saterland Frisian Äil (“awl”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "nl",
        "2": "aal",
        "t": "awl"
      },
      "expansion": "Dutch aal (“awl”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "nds-de",
        "2": "Ahl",
        "t": "awl"
      },
      "expansion": "German Low German Ahl (“awl”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "de",
        "2": "Ahle",
        "t": "awl"
      },
      "expansion": "German Ahle (“awl”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "is",
        "2": "alur",
        "t": "awl"
      },
      "expansion": "Icelandic alur (“awl”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gmw-pro",
        "3": "*ahwal"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-West Germanic *ahwal"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*ahwalaz",
        "t": "fork, hook"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *ahwalaz (“fork, hook”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "doublet",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "elsen"
      },
      "expansion": "Doublet of elsen"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "aul",
      "aul#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "alle",
      "alle#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "al",
      "al#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "æl",
      "æl#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "*al",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/al"
    ],
    [
      "*alaz",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/alaz"
    ],
    [
      "*h₁ólos",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/h₁ólos"
    ],
    [
      "Äil",
      "Äil#Saterland_Frisian"
    ],
    [
      "aal",
      "aal#Dutch"
    ],
    [
      "Ahl",
      "Ahl#Low_German"
    ],
    [
      "Ahle",
      "Ahle#German"
    ],
    [
      "alur",
      "alur#Icelandic"
    ],
    [
      "awel",
      "awel#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "awul",
      "awul#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "*ahwal",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/ahwal"
    ],
    [
      "*ahwalaz",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/ahwalaz"
    ],
    [
      "elsen",
      "elsen#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A pointed instrument for piercing small holes, as in leather or wood; used by shoemakers, saddlers, cabinetmakers, etc. The blade is differently shaped and pointed for different uses, as in the brad awl, saddler's awl, shoemaker's awl, etc.",
        "Any of various hesperiid butterflies."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "6b1a2d1cb73398c36df0952abe4f6e14f305312905bb9459219656a9b07c638c",
      "rawRecordSha256": "fdd9160b62c1a72c3f27f5ab5b2559f6c5b22f30da8b891f2fa908ba8a818a4b",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 203979
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
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    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

The source etymologies

Unnumbered source etymology

Relationships mentioned by the source

Where this record stops

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