*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of reel

From Middle English reel, reele, from Old English rēol, hrēol, from Proto-West Germanic *hrehul, from Proto-Germanic *hrehulaz, *hrahilaz, from Proto-Indo-European *krek- (“to weave, beat”). Cognate with Icelandic ræl, h

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 2 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 · variant 1/2

Original entry ↗
verb

To wind on a reel. · To spin or revolve repeatedly. · To unwind; to bring or acquire something by spinning or winding something else. · To walk shakily or unsteadily; to stagger; move as if drunk or not in control of oneself.

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

From Middle English reel, reele, from Old English rēol, hrēol, from Proto-West Germanic *hrehul, from Proto-Germanic *hrehulaz, *hrahilaz, from Proto-Indo-European *krek- (“to weave, beat”). Cognate with Icelandic ræl, hræll.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

  • Inherited-form mentionreelenm
  • Inherited-form mentionrēolang
  • Inherited-form mention*hrehulgmw-pro
  • Inherited-form mention*hrehulazgem-pro
  • Derivation mention*krek-ine-pro · to weave, beat
  • Cognate mentionrælis

This page abbreviates 7 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": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "reel"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English reel"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "rēol"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English rēol"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gmw-pro",
        "3": "*hrehul"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-West Germanic *hrehul"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*hrehulaz"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *hrehulaz"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*krek-",
        "t": "to weave, beat"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Indo-European *krek- (“to weave, beat”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "is",
        "2": "ræl"
      },
      "expansion": "Icelandic ræl"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "reel",
      "reel#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "reele",
      "reele#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "rēol",
      "reol#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "hrēol",
      "hreol#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "*hrehul",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/hrehul"
    ],
    [
      "*hrehulaz",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/hrehulaz"
    ],
    [
      "*hrahilaz",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/hrahilaz"
    ],
    [
      "*krek-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/krek-"
    ],
    [
      "ræl",
      "ræl#Icelandic"
    ],
    [
      "hræll",
      "hræll#Icelandic"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To wind on a reel.",
        "To spin or revolve repeatedly.",
        "To unwind; to bring or acquire something by spinning or winding something else.",
        "To walk shakily or unsteadily; to stagger; move as if drunk or not in control of oneself."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "9d9e48a3093e459560dc48bd2b583ba324e0508ff8f5b397713dcb932d7c9107",
      "rawRecordSha256": "3a388619e48bec3552748dcc2f6cc56a420ca70e488dacdcdf27900da25314fe",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 238961
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  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
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    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 7,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Unnumbered source etymology · variant 2/2

Original entry ↗
noun

A shaky or unsteady gait. · A lively dance originating in Scotland. · The music of this dance; often called a Scottish (or Scotch) reel. · A kind of spool, turning on an axis, on which yarn, threads, lines, or the like, are wound.

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

From Middle English reel, reele, from Old English rēol, hrēol, from Proto-West Germanic *hrehul, from Proto-Germanic *hrehulaz, *hrahilaz, from Proto-Indo-European *krek- (“to weave, beat”). Cognate with Icelandic ræl, hræll.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

  • Inherited-form mentionreelenm
  • Inherited-form mentionrēolang
  • Inherited-form mention*hrehulgmw-pro
  • Inherited-form mention*hrehulazgem-pro
  • Derivation mention*krek-ine-pro · to weave, beat
  • Cognate mentionrælis

This page abbreviates 3 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": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "reel"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English reel"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "rēol"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English rēol"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gmw-pro",
        "3": "*hrehul"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-West Germanic *hrehul"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*hrehulaz"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *hrehulaz"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*krek-",
        "t": "to weave, beat"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Indo-European *krek- (“to weave, beat”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "is",
        "2": "ræl"
      },
      "expansion": "Icelandic ræl"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "reel",
      "reel#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "reele",
      "reele#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "rēol",
      "reol#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "hrēol",
      "hreol#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "*hrehul",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/hrehul"
    ],
    [
      "*hrehulaz",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/hrehulaz"
    ],
    [
      "*hrahilaz",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/hrahilaz"
    ],
    [
      "*krek-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/krek-"
    ],
    [
      "ræl",
      "ræl#Icelandic"
    ],
    [
      "hræll",
      "hræll#Icelandic"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [
    {
      "lang": "Bulgarian",
      "lang_code": "bg",
      "word": "рийл",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ],
      "roman": "rijl"
    },
    {
      "lang": "Hebrew",
      "lang_code": "he",
      "word": "רילז",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ]
    },
    {
      "lang": "Korean",
      "lang_code": "ko",
      "word": "릴스",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ],
      "roman": "rilseu"
    },
    {
      "lang": "Russian",
      "lang_code": "ru",
      "word": "рилс",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ],
      "roman": "rils"
    }
  ],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A shaky or unsteady gait.",
        "A lively dance originating in Scotland.",
        "The music of this dance; often called a Scottish (or Scotch) reel.",
        "A kind of spool, turning on an axis, on which yarn, threads, lines, or the like, are wound."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "d37d03da2dfc86b97dc6a555447d2dcea624026618991ddc10756992f5ae600c",
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      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 238960
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
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    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 3,
    "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 reel →

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-cmVlbA