Where does “slipper” come from?
slipper (Norwegian Bokmål) comes from Norwegian Bokmål slippe, from Old Norse sleppa, from Proto-Germanic slīpaną, from Proto-Indo-European sley- — smooth; slick; sticky; slimy; to smear.
slipper (Norwegian Bokmål): present of slippe
Ancestry of “slipper”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Norwegian Bokmål | slippe | to escape, be let off; to release; to let |
| 2 | Old Norse | sleppa | — |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | slīpaną | to slide; to grind; to sharpen |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | sley- | smooth; slick; sticky; slimy; to smear |