Where does “talk” come from?
Talk derives from Middle English talken, from Proto-Germanic talkōną, which may be related to Proto-Germanic talōną and Proto-Indo-European del-, a root possibly meaning to split or divide.
talk (English): To communicate, usually by means of speech; To...
Definitions
- To communicate, usually by means of speech; To...
Ancestry of “talk”, step by step
talk traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English talken
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | talken | — |
| 2 | Old English | tealcian | to talk, chat |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | talkōną | to talk, chatter |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | talōną | to tell, speak, recount; to count, to reckon |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | del- | to aim, calculate, adjust, count; to reckon,... |
via Middle English talk
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | talk | — |