kahl

From Middle High German kal (inflected kalwe), from Old High German kalo, chalo, from Proto-Germanic *kalwaz (“naked, bald”), from Proto-Indo-European *gelH- (“naked, bald”). The form kahl (instead of *kalb) is based on the Middle High German uninflected stem. However, the lengthened vowel points to influence by varieties that reduce -lw- to -l- even in open syllables; these include Middle Low German kāl (inflected kāle). See the same development in fahl. Cognate with Dutch kaal, English callow, and further Italian calvo, Russian голый (golyj, “nude”), Persian کل (kal), Romanian chel.