Where does “shirle” come from?

shirle (Middle English) comes from Middle English schille, from Old English scill — sonorous sounding; shell.

Ancestry of “shirle”, step by step

shirle traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Middle English schille

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishschilleloud, resounding; high-pitched, shrill; audible,...
2Old Englishscillsonorous sounding; shell

via Middle English shil

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishshil—
Every word from Old English scill →Every word from Middle English schille →