Etymograph

English

treenail

Treenail comes from Middle English trenayl ‘treenail, trennel’.

  1. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500trenayl1‘treenail, trennel’
  2. Englishearliest quotation 1847treenail1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English treenail
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1847, editorial staff, TREENAIL MACHINE: “OPERATION—The wood for the treenail is fixed in G;…”.

Lineage

  1. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500trenaylWiktionary, English treenail‘treenail, trennel’
  2. Englishearliest quotation 1847treenailWiktionary, English treenail. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1847, editorial staff, TREENAIL MACHINE: “OPERATION—The wood for the treenail is fixed in G;…”

Formed from tree + nail

Proto-Indo-European *dóru

Proto-Germanic *trewą

Proto-West Germanic *treu

Old English trēo ‘tree’

Middle English trau

English tree

Proto-Indo-European *h₃nogʰ-

Proto-Germanic *naglaz

Proto-West Germanic *nagl

Middle English nail

English nail

Every English word from Middle English trenayl

Today it means

noun A wooden peg or pin used as a fastener.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “treenail”. 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 / Middle English trenayl / treenail

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