Etymology: < Anglo-Norman amal, amail, amaile, amaille (c1210 or earlier), variant (compare a- prefix¹) of Anglo-Norman esmaille, emal, Anglo-Norman and Old French, Middle French esmal, Old French, Middle French esmail (Middle French email , French émail ) enamel (c1140 in Old French), object made of enamel (c1210 or earlier), bright colour (although this is apparently first attested later than in English: a1630 or earlier) < an unattested Germanic noun, closely related to the base of smelt v. Compare later enamel n., which is now the usual word for the substance. Compare also later anmaile n., email n.¹, and esmayle n.Compare Old Occitan esmaut (c1300; also esmal ), Catalan esmalt (1370), Spanish esmalte (end of the 13th cent.), Portuguese esmalte (14th cent.; via Old Occitan or Catalan), Italian smalto smalto n., and also post-classical Latin smaltum (from 9th cent.), ( < French) aimallum , amalum , amellum , emalum , esmale , esmallum , etc. (frequently from 13th to 15th cent. in British sources). In forms with initial au- apparently by analogy with similar forms of words of French origin whose Anglo-Norman etymons include forms in au- ; compare e.g. amber n.², amble v. Quot. c1330 at sense 1 was taken by some earlier editors to show animal n.; compare the discussion at that entry.

Etymology: < amel n., probably after Anglo-Norman aymeler, Anglo-Norman and Middle French esmailler, Middle French esmaillier (13th cent. in Old French; French émailler ). Compare later amelled adj.