An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Annotated/wühlen

by Friedrich Kluge

wühlen, verb, ‘to root, grub up, burrow, rummage, stir up,’ from the equivalent Middle High German wüelen, Old High German wuolen (from *wôljan); corresponding to Dutch woelen. With this weak verbal root wôl is connected the Teutonic cognate walo- (see Wahlstatt), to which Old High German and Middle High German wuol and Anglo-Saxon wôl, ‘defeat, ruin,’ are allied.