Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “sulf” come from?

sulf (Middle English) comes from Old English sylf, from Old English self, from Proto-West Germanic *selb, from Proto-Germanic selbaz, from Proto-Indo-European selbʰ-, from Proto-Indo-European s(w)e-, from Proto-Indo-European swé — self.

Ancestry of “sulf”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishsylfself, oneself
2Old Englishselfself
3Proto-West Germanic*selb—
4Proto-Germanicselbazself
5Proto-Indo-Europeanselbʰ-one's own
6Proto-Indo-Europeans(w)e-separate, apart; separate; apart; oneself; one's...
7Proto-Indo-Europeanswéself

Words derived from “sulf”

  • itself
  • self
  • Self
  • selfish
  • oneself
  • selfishness
  • selves
  • unselfish
  • selfless
  • selfhood
  • unselfishness
  • selfishly
  • selflessness
  • meself
  • ourself
  • unselfishly
  • selflessly
  • nonself
  • theirselves
  • unself
  • selfness
  • selfed
  • notself
  • theeself
Every word from Proto-Indo-European swé →