Where does “slay” come from?
slay (Middle English) comes from Old English slege, from Proto-West Germanic slagi, from Swedish slagg, from Low German slagge, from Middle Low German slagge, from Middle Low German slān, from Old Saxon slāhan, from Proto-West Germanic slahan — to hit; strike; to hit, strike, throw; to hit,...
slay (Middle English): A sley or reed
Ancestry of “slay”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old English | slege | blow, hit; death blow, murder |
| 2 | Proto-West Germanic | slagi | blow, strike |
| 3 | Swedish | slagg | — |
| 4 | Low German | slagge | — |
| 5 | Middle Low German | slagge | — |
| 6 | Middle Low German | slān | to hit, strike |
| 7 | Old Saxon | slāhan | — |
| 8 | Proto-West Germanic | slahan | to hit, to strike; to kill |
| 9 | Proto-Germanic | slahaną | to hit, to strike; to kill |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | slak- | to hit; strike; to hit, strike, throw; to hit,... |
Words derived from “slay”