English
convolvulus
Convolvulus comes from Latin convolvulus ‘bindweed’, from convolvō ‘convolve’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *welH- ‘to roll, to undulate’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*welH-1‘to roll, to undulate’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*wolwō1reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEvolvō1‘roll’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEconvolvō2‘convolve’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEconvolvulus2‘bindweed’
- Englishearliest quotation 1947convolvulus2
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Latin convolvo
- 2 Wiktionary, English convolvulus
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1947, Malcolm Lowry, Under the Volcano: “Toward it the torrent raced furiously, fed from above,…”.
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*welH-Wiktionary, Latin convolvo‘to roll, to undulate’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*wolwōWiktionary, Latin convolvoreconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEvolvōWiktionary, Latin convolvo‘roll’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEconvolvōWiktionary, English convolvulus‘convolve’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEconvolvulusWiktionary, English convolvulus‘bindweed’
- Englishearliest quotation 1947convolvulusWiktionary, English convolvulus. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1947, Malcolm Lowry, Under the Volcano: “Toward it the torrent raced furiously, fed from above,…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *welH- ‘to roll, to undulate’
well, walk, wall, valve, waltz, helix, vulgar, vagrant, wale, divulge, gauche, iliac, ilium, vulgate, valise, valvular, 70 more
through Proto-Italic *wolwō
revolve, devolution, devolve, 39 more
through Latin volvō ‘roll’
volume, revolution, evolution, vault, involve, revolt, evolve, voluminous, vulva, voluble, involution, convolutional, 42 more
through Latin convolvō ‘convolve’
Today it means
noun Any of several plants, of the genus Convolvulus, found in temperate climates, having small trumpet-shaped flowers.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “convolvulus”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Latin convolvo. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *welH- / convolvulus