Etymograph

English

ladder

Ladder comes from Old English hlǣder ‘ladder’, from Proto-Germanic *hlaidrijō, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ḱley- ‘to lean’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ḱley-1‘to lean’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*hlaidrijō1reconstructed
  3. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*hlaidriju1reconstructed
  4. Old Englishc. 450–1150hlǣder1‘ladder’
  5. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500ladder1‘ladder’
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1851ladder1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English ladder
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1851, James Fenimore Cooper, Chapter XXIII: “The form of a man was seen to enter,…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ḱley-Wiktionary, English ladder‘to lean’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*hlaidrijōWiktionary, English ladderreconstructed
  3. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*hlaidrijuWiktionary, English ladderreconstructed
  4. Old Englishc. 450–1150hlǣderWiktionary, English ladder‘ladder’
  5. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500ladderWiktionary, English ladder‘ladder’
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1851ladderWiktionary, English ladder. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1851, James Fenimore Cooper, Chapter XXIII: “The form of a man was seen to enter,…”

The story

Further cognates include Ashkun istrī, Kamkata-viri c̣ik, Prasuni čik, čix; Waigali c̣iř, Sanskrit श्रिति (śrití).

Full etymology on Wiktionary

Linked words

pairs

  • ladder and climax both from Proto-Indo-European *ḱley- ‘to lean’

through Proto-Indo-European *ḱley- ‘to lean’

low, law, climate, decline, lean, lid, inclination, incline, eyelid, clinician, cline, proclivity, declination, declension, 26 more

Today it means

noun A frame, usually portable, of wood, metal, or rope, used for ascent and descent, consisting of two side pieces to which are fastened rungs (cross strips or rounds acting as steps).

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “ladder”. 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 *ḱley- / ladder

Shirt and support for this word