Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “sell” come from?

Sell comes from French selle, from Latin sella meaning seat, from Proto-Italic sedlā, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European sed- meaning to sit.

sell (English): To transfer goods or provide services in exchange...

Definitions

  1. To transfer goods or provide services in exchange...

Ancestry of “sell”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Frenchsellesaddle; commode; excrement
2Middle Frenchsellesaddle
3Old Frenchselesaddle
4Latinsellaseat, chair; sedan chair; saddle
5Proto-Italicsedlā—
6Proto-Indo-Europeansed-lo-—

Words derived from “sell”

  • resell
  • reseller
  • undersell
  • sellout
  • sellable
  • selleth
  • outsell
  • oversell
  • upsell
  • unsellable
  • sellest
  • presell
  • sellsword
  • sellback
  • sellee
  • unsell
  • sellability
  • resellable
  • onsell
  • underseller
  • selldown
  • mis-sell
  • missell
  • overseller
Every word from Proto-Indo-European sed-lo- →