Where does “Small” come from?
Small comes from Old English smæl, from Proto-Germanic smalaz, from Proto-Indo-European (s)mel-, a root of unknown ultimate meaning.
Ancestry of “Small”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | smal | Small, miniscule; Little, few, scarce; Ground... |
| 2 | Old English | smæl | narrow, slim; not broad; slender; not thick;... |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | smal | small |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | smalaz | small |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)mal- | small; little |