Where does “сель” come from?

сель (Russian) comes from Russian со́рок, from Old East Slavic сорокъ, from Proto-Slavic *sorkъ — clothing item.

сель (Russian): landslide, mudslide, mudflow

Definitions

  1. landslide, mudslide, mudflow

Ancestry of “сель”, step by step

сель traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Russian со́рок

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Russianсо́рокforty
2Old East Slavicсорокъa bunch of 40 sable pelts; a bunch of 40 sable...
3Proto-Slavic*sorkъclothing item

via Arabic سَيْل

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Arabicسَيْل—
Every word from Proto-Slavic *sorkъ →Every word from Old East Slavic сорокъ →Every word from Russian со́рок →