Where does “shell” come from?

Shell comes from Middle English schelle, from Old English sċiell, from Proto-West Germanic skallju, from Proto-Germanic skaljō, from Proto-Indo-European (s)kelH-, which derives from Proto-Indo-European (s)kel-.

shell (English): A hard external covering of an animal; The hard...

Definitions

  1. A hard external covering of an animal; The hard...

Ancestry of “shell”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishschelle—
2Old Englishsċiellshell
3Proto-West Germanicskalljuscale; shell
4Proto-Germanicskaljōshell; husk; rind; peel
5Proto-Indo-European(s)kelH-to cut; to split, to separate
6Proto-Indo-European(s)kel-to bend, crook; bent, crooked; leg, heel, knee,...

Words derived from “shell”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European (s)kel- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European (s)kelH- →Every word from Proto-Germanic skaljō →
shell — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer