whel

Middle English

Alternative forms

• ȝweol, hwel, qweel, qwel, qwele, qwell, qweyll, wele, wheel, wheele, whele, whelle, wheol, wheyle, wheylle

Etymology

From Old English hwēol, from Proto-Germanic *hweulu, plural of *hwehwl, from Proto-Germanic *hwehwlą, from Proto-Indo-European *kʷékʷlos.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /hweːl/

Noun

whel (plural wheles)

1. A wheel (circular device for motion):
   1. The wheel as a symbol of fluctuation or repetition.
   2. A breaking wheel; a wheel used as for torture.
2. A wheel as or in a machine (e.g. a waterwheel; a potter's wheel).
3. A circular movement or figure (especially in astronomy).
4. (rare) A hinge or pivot for a gate.

Related terms

• whelbarwe
• whelen
• whelere
• whelwryghte

Descendants

• English: wheel
  • → Maori: wīra
• Middle Scots: quhel, quhele, quheil, quheile
  • Scots: wheel
• Yola: wheel

References

• “whēl(e, n.(1).”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 6 May 2018.