Where does “yell” come from?

Yell comes from Middle English yellen, from Old English ġiellan, from Proto-Germanic gellaną, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European gʰel- meaning to shout or cry out.

yell (English): shout; holler; make a loud sound with the voice;...

Definitions

  1. shout; holler; make a loud sound with the voice;...

Ancestry of “yell”, step by step

yell traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Scots yeld

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Scotsyeldbarren, not pregnant, not giving milk; not...
2Middle Englishyeld—
3Old Englishġildevaluable, of worth
4Proto-Germanicgildizvaluable, wholesome, precious
5Proto-Indo-Europeangʰeldʰ-to repay, reward; to pay; to pay for, repay

via Middle English ȝellen

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishȝellenTo yell or holler; to make a loud cry or...
2Old Englishġiellanto yell
3Proto-Germanicgellanąto shout, to yell
4Proto-Indo-Europeanǵʰel-to shine, glimmer, glow; to shimmer, gleam;...

Words derived from “yell”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European gʰeldʰ- →Every word from Proto-Germanic gildiz →Every word from Old English ġilde →