Etymograph

English

needle

Needle comes from Proto-Indo-European *(s)neh₁- ‘to spin, twist’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*(s)neh₁-1‘to spin, twist’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*(s)néh₁tlom1reconstructed
  3. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*nēþlą1reconstructed
  4. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*nēþlō1reconstructed
  5. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*nāþlu1reconstructed
  6. Old Englishc. 450–1150nǣdl1
  7. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500nedle1
  8. Englishearliest quotation 1892needle1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English needle
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1892, H. Lindo Ferguson, Operation on Microphthamlmic Eyes: “[…]the eyes were once more beginning to show the…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*(s)neh₁-Wiktionary, English needle‘to spin, twist’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*(s)néh₁tlomWiktionary, English needlereconstructed
  3. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*nēþląWiktionary, English needlereconstructed
  4. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*nēþlōWiktionary, English needlereconstructed
  5. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*nāþluWiktionary, English needlereconstructed
  6. Old Englishc. 450–1150nǣdlWiktionary, English needle
  7. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500nedleWiktionary, English needle
  8. Englishearliest quotation 1892needleWiktionary, English needle. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1892, H. Lindo Ferguson, Operation on Microphthamlmic Eyes: “[…]the eyes were once more beginning to show the…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *(s)neh₁- ‘to spin, twist’

nervous, nerve, nous, neuron, adder, nematode, sinew, nematic, 8 more

Today it means

noun A long, thin, sharp implement usually for piercing as in sewing, embroidery, acupuncture, tattooing, body piercing, medical injections, sutures, etc; or a blunt but otherwise similar implement used for forming loops or knots in crafts such as darning, knitting, tatting, etc.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “needle”. 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 *(s)neh₁- / needle

Shirt and support for this word