Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “sail” come from?

Sail comes from Middle English saile, from Old French salir, from Latin salio meaning "to jump," with the prefix ad- meaning "to," ultimately from Proto-Indo-European ád and ser-.

sail (English): A piece of fabric attached to a boat and arranged...

Definitions

  1. A piece of fabric attached to a boat and arranged...

Ancestry of “sail”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishsaileAlternative form of assailen
2Proto-Germanicsegląsheet; sail
3Proto-Germanicsiglą—

Words derived from “sail”

  • sailing
  • mainsail
  • sailboat
  • foresail
  • staysail
  • sailcloth
  • sailmaker
  • sailfish
  • spritsail
  • headsail
  • outsail
  • sailcraft
  • skysail
  • squaresail
  • lugsail
  • sailplane
  • saileth
  • sailless
  • parasail
  • forestaysail
  • sailfin
  • windsail
  • sailboard
  • sailboarding
Every word from Proto-Germanic siglą →