Where does “sully” come from?

Sully comes from Middle English sulen, Old English sylian, Proto-Germanic suliwōną, and Proto-Indo-European sūl-, with the original sense now obscured.

sully (English): To soil or stain; to dirty; To corrupt or damage;...

Definitions

  1. To soil or stain; to dirty; To corrupt or damage;...

Ancestry of “sully”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishsulen—
2Old Englishsylianto soil, pollute; to sully; to soil, make dirty;...
3Proto-Germanicsuliwōną—
4Proto-Indo-Europeansūl-thick liquid, muck

Words derived from “sully”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European sūl- →Every word from Proto-Germanic suliwōną →Every word from Old English sylian →
sully — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer