English
pulley
Pulley comes from Ancient Greek πολίδιον ‘little pivot’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *kʷel- ‘to turn’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*kʷel-1‘to turn’reconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEπολίδιον1polídion‘little pivot’
- Medieval Latinc. 600–1500polidia1
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400poulie1
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500puly1
- Englishearliest quotation 1648pulley1
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, English pulley
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1648, John Wilkins: “These pulleys […] placed collaterally.”.
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*kʷel-Wiktionary, English pulley‘to turn’reconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEπολίδιονWiktionary, English pulleypolídion‘little pivot’
- Medieval Latinc. 600–1500polidiaWiktionary, English pulley
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400poulieWiktionary, English pulley
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500pulyWiktionary, English pulley
- Englishearliest quotation 1648pulleyWiktionary, English pulley. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1648, John Wilkins: “These pulleys […] placed collaterally.”
The story
Associated with pull (verb) by folk etymology.folk etymology The source marks this as unproven or a folk etymology. Quoted, not asserted.
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *kʷel- ‘to turn’
cycle, polar, pole, columnist, loaf, bazaar, accolade, bucolic, 8 more
Today it means
noun One of the simple machines; a sheave, a wheel with a grooved rim, in which a pulled rope or chain lifts an object (more useful when two or more pulleys are used together, as in a block and tackle arrangement, such that a small force moving through a greater distance can exert a larger force through a smaller distance).
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “pulley”. 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 *kʷel- / pulley