Etymograph

English

hobble

Hobble comes from Middle English hobblen, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *ḱewb-.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ḱewb-1root named by Wiktionary · steps between not traced
  2. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500hobblen1
  3. Englishearliest quotation 1681hobble1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English hobble
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1681, John Dryden, The Spanish Fryar: Or: “The friar was hobbling the same way too.”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ḱewb-Wiktionary, English hobbleroot named by Wiktionary · steps between not traced
  2. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500hobblenWiktionary, English hobble
  3. Englishearliest quotation 1681hobbleWiktionary, English hobble. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1681, John Dryden, The Spanish Fryar: Or: “The friar was hobbling the same way too.”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *ḱewb-

hip, incumbent, cove, succumb, cubicle, concubine, succubus, incubus, incubate, cubit, shoop, 13 more

Today it means

noun One of the short straps tied between the legs of unfenced horses, allowing them to wander short distances but preventing them from running off.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “hobble”. 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 *ḱewb- / hobble

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