English
countervail
Countervail comes from Anglo-Norman countrevaloir, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *h₂welh₁-.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂welh₁-1root named by Wiktionary · steps between not traced
- Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400countrevaloir1
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1587–1588countervail1
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, English countervail
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: c. 1587–1588, Christopher Marlowe, Tamburlaine the Great. […] The First Part […]: “Nay could their numbers counteruaile the ſtars Or [euer]…”.
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂welh₁-Wiktionary, English countervailroot named by Wiktionary · steps between not traced
- Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400countrevaloirWiktionary, English countervail
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1587–1588countervailWiktionary, English countervail. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: c. 1587–1588, Christopher Marlowe, Tamburlaine the Great. […] The First Part […]: “Nay could their numbers counteruaile the ſtars Or [euer]…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *h₂welh₁-
value, wild, equivalent, valid, wool, velvet, valuation, vale, wield, fluff, flannel, avail, valiant, cuckold, valour, velour, lanolin, woll, valorous, 44 more
Today it means
verb To have the same value or number as.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “countervail”. 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 *h₂welh₁- / countervail