Where does “smilen” come from?

smilen (Middle English) comes from Old Norse smīla, from Proto-Germanic smīlijaną, from Proto-Indo-European smēy-.

smilen (Middle English): to smile

Definitions

  1. to smile

Ancestry of “smilen”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Norsesmīlato smile
2Proto-Germanicsmīlijanąto smile
3Proto-Indo-Europeansmēy-—

Words derived from “smilen”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European smēy- →Every word from Proto-Germanic smīlijaną →Every word from Old Norse smīla →