cudele

Old English

Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *kudulā, from Proto-Germanic *kudilǭ, a diminutive from Proto-Germanic *kuddô + -ilǭ, from Proto-Indo-European *gewt- (“pouch, sack”), from *gew- (“to bend, bow, arch, vault, curve”). Equivalent to codd +‎ -el.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈku.de.le/

Noun

cudele f (nominative plural cudelan)

1. cuttlefish

   Synonym: wāsesċite

Usage notes

• The exact gender is not known, as the term is glossed once without reference to gender, but based on the phonology and spelling, it is likely a feminine weak noun.

• That the first vowel is /u/ and not /o/ or /i/ suggests that the word was earlier *cudole.

Declension

Declension of cudele (weak)

Case	Singular	Plural
nominative	cudele	cudelan
accusative	cudelan	cudelan
genitive	cudelan	cudelena
dative	cudelan	cudelum

Descendants

• Middle English: codulle, codel, codul, cotul, cutyl, cothell
  • English: cuttle
    • ⇒ English: cuttlefish