An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/all

by Friedrich Kluge

all, adj., ‘all, whole,’ from MidHG. and OHG. al (infl. gen. alles), adj., ‘entire, each, every one’; a word common to the Teut. group; it corresponds to Goth. alls, OIc. allr, AS. eall, E. all, Du. al, OSax. ol, with the same meanings. There is also an OTeut. form ala- in compounds and derivatives; comp. OHG. and OSax. alung, MidHG. alenc, ‘entire, complete,’ Goth. alamans, plur., ‘everybody,’ OHG. ala-wâr, ‘quite true’ (see albern), alaniwwi, ‘quite new.’ Probably Goth. alla- as a participial form is based upon an older al-na- (comp. voll, Wolle), since ala- shows that the root was al or rather ol. Whether Goth. alan, ‘to grow up’ (see alt), is a cognate, remains uncertain; in any case, the Kelt. words, OIr. uile, ule, ‘entire, each, all’ (base olio-), and W. oil ‘entire,’ are rightly compared with it, while Gr. ὅλος, on account of Sans. sárvas (from Aryan solvo-s), ‘entire, each,’ must be kept apart. —