curl (English)

Where does "curl" come from?

The English noun 'curl' comes from a metathesis of the Middle English adjective 'crulle', meaning 'curled, curly'[1]. This Middle English term is of uncertain origin, though it likely derives from an unrecorded Old English word or from Middle Dutch 'crul', meaning 'curl'[1]. These forms trace back to the Proto-Germanic '*kruzlǭ', which meant 'bent or crooked object, curl'[1].

Open questions

• The exact origin in Middle English is uncertain, with proposals suggesting an unrecorded Old English word or borrowing from Middle Dutch. [1]

Full etymology tree

• curl (English), 'A curving piece or lock of hair; a ringlet.'
  • derived crulle (Middle English)
    • derived crul (Middle Dutch)
      • inherited *kruzlǭ (Proto-Germanic)

Cognates and doublets

• krølle (Danish)
• krus (Danish)
• krul (Dutch)
• kraus (German)
• 𐌺𐍂𐌹𐌿𐍃𐍄𐌰𐌽 (Gothic)
• krøll (Norwegian Bokmål)
• Krüüs (Saterland Frisian)
• krusa (Swedish)

Descendants and derived words

• becurl (English)
• bicep curl (English)
• blue curls (English)
• bluecurls (English)
• cheat curl (English)
• cheese curl (English)
• curl bar (English)
• curl grub (English)
• curlicue (English)
• curlicue (English)
• curliness (English)
• curlless (English)

Sources

1. curl (English) - Wiktionary

Updated August 2026

More words starting with C

Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris