Heel

Heel

1. A part of Maasgouw in the Netherlands

• Ehle, Hele, hele

First attested as Latin Pagus Catvual between the 1st and 4th century. Compound derived from Proto-Germanic *haþu- (“battle”) and *walla (“wall”), either as a calque from Celtic term or as an originally Germanic term that was calqued into Celtic.

Alternative hypotheses propose a Latin origin of the toponym or a derivation from the demonym of an otherwise unknown tribe. Compare Heerle and Heerlen.

See also Limburgish Hael.

• IPA^(key): /ɦeːl/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: Heel
• Rhymes: -eːl
• Homophone: heel

Heel n

1. A village and former municipality of Maasgouw, Limburg, Netherlands

   Synonym: Gangmaekersriek (Carnival nickname)

• Panheel
• Heel en Panheel

• van Berkel, Gerard, Samplonius, Kees (2018) Nederlandse plaatsnamen verklaard (in Dutch), Mijnbestseller.nl, →ISBN

From an underlying Middle High German *höuwel, from the verb houwen, whence Luxembourgish haen (“to hit, chop”); derived either directly from the verb with the tool suffix -el or as a diminutive of the noun houwe, from Old High German houwa (“hoe”), related to the verb houwan (“to hew”).

Alternatively or additionally, the word could be from Middle High German *heiel, diminutive of heie, from Old High German heia (“battering ram”), since related words in Central Franconian also mean “ram; wooden hammer; masher of an oil press”.

• IPA^(key): /heːl/
• Rhymes: -eːl

Heel m (plural Heelen)

1. hoe (tool)

From Middle Low German and Old Saxon hol, from Proto-West Germanic *hol.

Heel f (plural Heelen)

1. cave, cavern