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35,981 English word records · 45,491 etymology sections in this online subset
PARTIAL ENGLISH COVERAGE · FULL CORPUS REMAINS LOCAL5 source sections across 2 headwords matching “Well”. These are separate from the reviewed results below.
WellEnglish (en) · Unnumbered etymologySource text
Most, if not all, of the placenames are derived from the noun well.
Original Wiktionary entry and references ↗wellEnglish (en) · Etymology 1Source text
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *welh₁-der. Proto-Germanic *welazder.? Proto-Germanic *welat? Proto-Germanic *wela Old English wel Middle English wel, wal, wol, wele English well From Middle English wel, wal, wol, wele, from Old English wel (“well, abundantly, very, very easily, very much, fully, quite, nearly”), from Proto-Germanic *wela, *wala (“well”, literally “as wished, as desired”), from Proto-Indo-European *welh₁- (“wish, desire”). Cognates Cognate with Yola vella, waal, wel, well, wull (“well”), Cimbrian boll, bóol (“well”), Dutch wel (“well”), German wohl, wol, woll (“well”), Danish, Icelandic, Norwegian Bokmål, and Norwegian Nynorsk vel (“well”), Faroese væl (“well”), Swedish väl, waͤl (“well”), Gothic 𐍅𐌰𐌹𐌻𐌰 (waila, “well”). Related to will.
Original Wiktionary entry and references ↗wellEnglish (en) · Etymology 1Source text
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *welh₁-der. Proto-Germanic *welazder.? Proto-Germanic *welat? Proto-Germanic *wela Old English wel Middle English wel, wal, wol, wele English well From Middle English wel, wal, wol, wele, from Old English wel (“well, abundantly, very, very easily, very much, fully, quite, nearly”), from Proto-Germanic *wela, *wala (“well”, literally “as wished, as desired”), from Proto-Indo-European *welh₁- (“wish, desire”). Cognates Cognate with Yola vella, waal, wel, well, wull (“well”), Cimbrian boll, bóol (“well”), Dutch wel (“well”), German wohl, wol, woll (“well”), Danish, Icelandic, Norwegian Bokmål, and Norwegian Nynorsk vel (“well”), Faroese væl (“well”), Swedish väl, waͤl (“well”), Gothic 𐍅𐌰𐌹𐌻𐌰 (waila, “well”). Related to will.
Original Wiktionary entry and references ↗wellEnglish (en) · Etymology 2Source text
From Middle English welle, from Old English wielle (“well”), from Proto-West Germanic *wallijā, from Proto-Germanic *wallijǭ (“well, swirl, wave”), from Proto-Indo-European *welH- (“to turn; wind; roll”). Cognate with West Frisian wel (“well”), Dutch wel (“well”), German Low German Well (“well”), German Welle (“wave”), Danish væld (“well; spring”), Swedish väl (“well”), Icelandic vella (“boiling; bubbling; eruption”).
Original Wiktionary entry and references ↗wellEnglish (en) · Etymology 3Source text
From Middle English wellen, from a merger of Old English weallan (intransitive) and wiellan (transitive), both meaning “to boil.” Further from Proto-Germanic *wallaną and *wallijaną. Doublet of wall. Cognate with German wallen (“boil, seethe”), Danish vælde (“gush”), Norwegian Nynorsk vella and outside Germanic, with Albanian valë (“hot, boiling”).
Original Wiktionary entry and references ↗INDEPENDENT SOURCE LIBRARY
More sources for this spelling
These are spelling matches, not a claim of identical senses or agreement. Historical accounts retain their own editions and limits; none is automatically promoted into reviewed ancestry.
Chambers (1908)
1908- WellEnglish · e-38700-9234
Well, wel, n. a rise of water from the earth: a spring: a pit in the earth whence a supply of water is obtained: an enclosure in a ship's hold round the pumps: the open space in the middle of a staircase: a cavity: an ed
Read the full source record → - WellEnglish · e-38700-9235
Well, wel, adj. good in condition: fortunate: comfortable: in health.—n. (Spens.) good health, fortune.—adv. in a proper manner: rightly: thoroughly: favourably: conveniently: to a considerable extent: conscientiously: s
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