Etymology Explorer › German

Where does “Schwelle” come from?

Schwelle (German) comes from Middle High German swelle, from Old High German swelli, from Proto-Germanic sulī, from Proto-Indo-European sēl- — to calm, quiet, be favourable.

Schwelle (German): threshold; railroad tie, railway sleeper

Definitions

  1. threshold; railroad tie, railway sleeper

Ancestry of “Schwelle”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle High Germanswelle—
2Old High Germanswelli—
3Proto-Germanicsulībalk, bar, threshold, sill
4Proto-Indo-Europeansēl-to calm, quiet, be favourable

Words derived from “Schwelle”

  • subliminal
  • subliminally
  • Schwellenangst
  • subliminal
  • subliminalement
  • Schwellenpflug
  • Geruchsschwellenwert
  • Schwellenwert
  • Schwellenangst
  • unterschwellig
  • Schwellenland
Every word from Proto-Indo-European sēl- →