Where does “screed” come from?
screed (English) comes from Middle English screde, from Old English scrēadian, from Proto-Germanic skraudaną, from Proto-Indo-European skrówdʰ-e-ti, from Proto-Indo-European skrew-, from Proto-Indo-European (s)ker-, from Proto-Indo-European sek- — to cut, cut off, sever.
screed (English): A piece or narrow strip cut or torn off from a...
Definitions
- A piece or narrow strip cut or torn off from a...
Ancestry of “screed”, step by step
screed traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English screde
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | screde | — |
| 2 | Old English | scrēadian | to shred, cut up, cut off, peel, pare, prune; to... |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | skraudaną | to cut up, to shred |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | skrówdʰ-e-ti | — |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | skrew- | to cut; cutting tool |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)ker- | to cut off; to turn, bend |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | sek- | to cut, cut off, sever |
via English scree
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | scree | Loose stony debris on a slope; Similar debris... |
| 2 | English | screes | plural of scree |
| 3 | Old Norse | skriða | landslide, landslip |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | skrīþaną | to walk, glide, crawl |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)kreyt- | to wind; twist; bend |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)ḱer- | dung, manure, filth; manure, dung, filth |