Where does “scold” come from?

Scold comes from Middle English scold, a word of uncertain origin whose earliest meaning is unknown.

scold (English): A person who habitually scolds, in particular a...

Definitions

  1. A person who habitually scolds, in particular a...

Ancestry of “scold”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishscold—
2Old Norseskaldpoet, skald
3Proto-Germanicskeldanąto scold
4Proto-Indo-Europeanskeldʰ-—

Words derived from “scold”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European skeldʰ- →Every word from Proto-Germanic skeldaną →Every word from Old Norse skald →