Where does “scale” come from?

Scale comes from Middle English scale, from Latin scala meaning ladder, from Latin scadla, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European skend- and (s)kel- meaning to climb or split.

scale (English): A ladder; a series of steps; a means of...

Definitions

  1. A ladder; a series of steps; a means of...

Ancestry of “scale”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishscaleflake
2Latinscālaladder
3Latinscanderethird-person plural perfect active indicative of...
4Latinscandōto climb, ascend, mount
5Proto-Indo-Europeansḱend-to jump up, ascend

Words derived from “scale”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European sḱend- →