Where does “selfie” come from?
selfie (French) comes from English selfie, from English Self, from Middle English salve, from Old English sealf, from Proto-West Germanic salbu, from Proto-Germanic salbō, from Proto-Indo-European solp-éh₂, from Proto-Indo-European selp- — fat, oil.
selfie (French): selfie
Ancestry of “selfie”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | selfie | A photographic self-portrait, especially one... |
| 2 | English | Self | — |
| 3 | Middle English | salve | Alternative form of sauf |
| 4 | Old English | sealf | salve |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | salbu | salve, ointment |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | salbō | salve, ointment |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | solp-éh₂ | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | selp- | fat, oil |