Etymograph

English

eolation

Eolation may come from English Aeolian ‘relating to Eolus’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *welH- ‘to turn’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*welH-1‘to turn’uncertainearlier origin unknown
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*welwel-1uncertain
  3. Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*walwólos1uncertain
  4. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEΑἴολος2Aíolosuncertain
  5. English1500–presentAeolian2‘relating to Eolus’by way of Latin Aeolusuncertain
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1910eolation2

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Ancient Greek Αἴολος
  2. 2 Wiktionary, English eolation
  3. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1910, Charles R. Keyes: “Eolian erosion, wind scour, or eolation, must ever grow…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*welH-Wiktionary, Ancient Greek Αἴολος‘to turn’uncertainearlier origin unknown
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*welwel-Wiktionary, Ancient Greek Αἴολοςuncertain
  3. Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*walwólosWiktionary, Ancient Greek Αἴολοςuncertain
  4. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEΑἴολοςWiktionary, English eolationAíolosuncertain
  5. English1500–presentAeolianWiktionary, English eolation‘relating to Eolus’by way of Latin Aeolusuncertain
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1910eolationWiktionary, English eolation. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1910, Charles R. Keyes: “Eolian erosion, wind scour, or eolation, must ever grow…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *welH- ‘to turn’

well, walk, wall, volume, valve, involve, revolution, vault, evolution, evolve, revolt, vulgar, waltz, helix, divulge, vagrant, convoluted, vulva, voluminous, wale, gauche, iliac, ilium, vulgate, valise, convolution, valvular, voluble, involution, 74 more

Today it means

noun Any effect of wind on land.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “eolation”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Ancient Greek Αἴολος. 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- / eolation

Shirt and support for this word