Etymology Explorer › Middle High German

Where does “schult” come from?

schult (Middle High German) comes from Old High German sculd, from Proto-West Germanic skuldi, from Proto-Germanic skuldiz, from Proto-Indo-European skéltis, from Proto-Indo-European sḱel-, from Proto-Indo-European ḱelh₁- — to warm up, to be hot; to warm up, be hot.

Ancestry of “schult”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old High Germansculddebt
2Proto-West Germanicskuldiobligation; debt; fault, blame, guilt
3Proto-Germanicskuldizobligation; debt; fault, blame, guilt
4Proto-Indo-Europeanskéltis—
5Proto-Indo-Europeansḱel-—
6Proto-Indo-Europeanḱelh₁-to warm up, to be hot; to warm up, be hot
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ḱelh₁- →