Origins
The word 'all' is the primary universal quantifier in English, expressing totality, entirety, and completeness.βββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββ It descends from Old English 'eall' (all, every, entire, whole), from Proto-Germanic *allaz. The Old English form 'eall' had a diphthong that was simplified during the Middle English period to 'al' or 'all,' and the modern double-l spelling was standardized in Early Modern English.
The ultimate PIE etymology of *allaz is uncertain and debated. The most widely cited proposal connects it to PIE *hβel- (to grow, to nourish), the root that also produced Latin 'alere' (to nourish), 'altus' (high, grown tall), 'adolescent' (growing up), and 'adult' (grown up). Under this analysis, 'all' originally meant something like 'fully grown, complete' β totality conceived as having reached full development. However, this connection is not universally accepted, and some scholars treat *allaz as a specifically Germanic formation without a clear PIE pedigree.
What is certain is that the word is pan-Germanic: German 'all,' Dutch 'al,' Old Norse 'allr,' Gothic 'alls,' Old Frisian 'al,' Old Saxon 'al' β every attested Germanic language has this word in essentially the same form and meaning. The consistency across the Germanic branch contrasts with the absence of clear cognates in Celtic, Italic, Greek, Indo-Iranian, or Balto-Slavic, which supports the possibility that *allaz was a Proto-Germanic coinage rather than an inheritance from PIE.
Old English Period
The compound-forming power of 'all' in English is extraordinary. A large number of common English words are historically compounds in which 'all' serves as an intensifying first element meaning 'wholly, completely.' 'Already' is 'all ready' (wholly prepared). 'Also' is from Old English 'eallswΔ' (all so, wholly thus). 'Although' is 'all though' (even though, wholly despite). 'Altogether' is 'all together.' 'Always' is from Old English 'ealne weg' (all the way, the entire path), later reanalyzed as 'all ways.' 'Almighty' is 'all-mighty' (wholly powerful), translating Latin 'omnipotens.' In each case, the 'al-' prefix has been so thoroughly fused with the second element that most speakers no longer perceive the compound structure.
The semantic range of 'all' is broader than it might appear. It can be a determiner ('all people'), a pronoun ('all are welcome'), an adverb ('all alone'), and even a noun ('give one's all'). This flexibility is ancient β Old English 'eall' could function in all these roles as well, and the Germanic cognates show similar versatility. The word's grammatical flexibility, combined with its phonological simplicity and high frequency, has kept it stable and productive for well over a thousand years.