Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “sclynken” come from?

sclynken (Middle English) comes from Old English slincan, from Proto-West Germanic slinkan, from Proto-Germanic slinkaną, from Proto-Indo-European sleng-, from Proto-Indo-European sel-, from Proto-Indo-European ser- — to flow; to guard; to bind, to tie together.

Ancestry of “sclynken”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishslincanto crawl, slink
2Proto-West Germanicslinkan—
3Proto-GermanicslinkanąTo creep; crawl; slink
4Proto-Indo-Europeansleng-—
5Proto-Indo-Europeansel-dwelling; piece of wood; beam, post, balk, board,...
6Proto-Indo-Europeanser-to flow; to guard; to bind, to tie together

Words derived from “sclynken”

  • slunk
  • slink
  • slinky
  • slinkily
  • slinker
  • slinketh
  • slinkiness
  • slinkest
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ser- →