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Borrowed from Latin Anglus, in turn borrowed from a Germanic source (compare Old English Ængle/Engle (“Angle”)). Probably derived from the toponym Angle, related to Proto-Germanic *anguz "narrow, tight; tapering", either indicating the "narrow" water (i.e. the Schlei estuary), or the shape of the peninsula. Folk etymology linking the word to English angel or any antecedents is demonstrably false.

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂eng- Proto-Indo-European *h₂engulos Proto-Italic *angulos Latin angulusder. Middle French anglebor. Middle English angle English angle From Middle English angle, angul, angule, borrowed from Middle French angle, from Latin angulus, anglus (“corner, remote area”). Cognate with Old High German ancha (“nape of the neck”), Middle High German anke (“joint of the foot, nape of neck”). Doublet of angulus and ankle.

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂eng- Proto-Indo-European *h₂engulos Proto-Italic *angulos Latin angulusder. Middle French anglebor. Middle English angle Middle English anglen English angle From Middle English anglen (“to meet at an angle, converge”), from the noun (see above).

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂enk-der. Proto-Germanic *angulaz Proto-West Germanic *angul Old English angol Middle English angel English angle From Middle English angel (“fishhook”), from Old English angel (“hook, fishhook”), from Proto-West Germanic *angul, from Proto-Germanic *angulaz (“hook”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂enk- (“to make crooked, bend”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian Ongle (“fishhook; fishing pole”), West Frisian angel (“fishing rod, stinger”), Dutch angel (“fishhook”), German Angel (“fishing pole”), Luxembourgish Aangel (“fishing rod”), Icelandic öngull (“fishhook”), Norwegian Nynorsk angel, ongel, ongul (“fishhook”), Swedish angel (“pike hook”), Prasuni uku (“shoulder”).

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂enk-der. Proto-Germanic *angulaz Proto-West Germanic *angul Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂yéti Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ti Proto-Germanic *-ōną Proto-West Germanic *-ōn Proto-West Germanic *anglōn Old English *anglian? Middle English anglen English angle From Middle English anglen (“to fish, fish with a hook”, literally “to fish-hook”), perhaps from Old English *anglian, from Proto-West Germanic *anglōn (“to hook”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian ongelje (“to fish, angle”), Dutch hengelen (“to fish, angle”), German Low German angeln (“to fish, angle”), German angeln (“to fish, angle”).