Where does “sel” come from?
sel (Middle English) comes from Anglo-Norman sëel, from Latin sigillum, from Latin -lus, from Proto-Italic -elos, from Proto-Indo-European -e-lós, from Proto-Indo-European -lós — Forms agent nouns from verbal roots.
Ancestry of “sel”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Anglo-Norman | sëel | — |
| 2 | Latin | sigillum | figurine, statuette; seal |
| 3 | Latin | -lus | Alternative form of -ulus; diminutive suffix |
| 4 | Proto-Italic | -elos | — |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | -e-lós | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | -lós | Forms agent nouns from verbal roots |