Where does “half” come from?
half (Middle English) comes from Old English healf, 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,...
half (Middle English): half
Ancestry of “half”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old English | healf | side; half; partly |
| 2 | Proto-Germanic | *halb | — |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | halbaz | half |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)kelH- | to cut; to split, to separate |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)kel- | to bend, crook; bent, crooked; leg, heel, knee,... |
Words derived from “half”