Where does “scald” come from?

scald (Middle Scots) comes from English scald, from Middle English scalden, from Old Northern French escalder.

scald (Middle Scots): affected by a scabby disease of the skin or scalp

Definitions

  1. affected by a scabby disease of the skin or scalp

Ancestry of “scald”, step by step

scald traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.

via English scald

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishscaldTo burn with hot liquid; To heat almost to...
2Middle Englishscaldento scald
3Old Northern Frenchescalder—

via Old Norse skald

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Norseskaldpoet, skald
2Proto-Germanicskeldanąto scold
3Proto-Indo-Europeanskeldʰ-—

via Middle English scald

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishscald—
Every word from Old Northern French escalder →Every word from Middle English scalden →Every word from English scald →