walk

Where does the word "walk" come from? It comes from Old English wealcan, passing through Middle English before entering English (1500s).

Walk’s story begins in Old English: wealcan meant “to roll, toss.” Meant to roll or toss, as waves do. By 1100s-1400s, the word had taken hold in Middle English as walken. Shifted to mean travelling on foot around 1200. It reached English by 1500s as walk. A 'walker' cleaned cloth by treading on it, which gave the surname Walker. Today, walk means to move on foot at a regular pace.

1. Stage 1 · Old English · 700s-1000s wealcan "to roll, toss", meant to roll or toss, as waves do.
2. Stage 2 · Middle English · 1100s-1400s walken "to go on foot", shifted to mean travelling on foot around 1200.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1500s walk "to go on foot", a 'walker' cleaned cloth by treading on it, which gave the surname Walker.