Where does “half” come from?

half (Middle Dutch) comes from Old Dutch half, from Proto-Germanic *halb, from Proto-Germanic halbaz, from Proto-Indo-European (s)kelH-, from Proto-Indo-European (s)kel- — to bend, crook; bent, crooked; leg, heel, knee,...

Ancestry of “half”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Dutchhalf
2Proto-Germanic*halb
3Proto-Germanichalbazhalf
4Proto-Indo-European(s)kelH-to cut; to split, to separate
5Proto-Indo-European(s)kel-to bend, crook; bent, crooked; leg, heel, knee,...

Words derived from “half

Every word from Proto-Indo-European (s)kel-
half — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer