Etymology Explorer › Russian

Where does “сме́лый” come from?

сме́лый (Russian) comes from Old East Slavic съмѣлъ, from Proto-Slavic sъmělъ, from Proto-Slavic sъměti, from Proto-Slavic sъ-, from Proto-Indo-European h₁su-, from Proto-Indo-European h₁wes- — good; to be cheerful, happy; to eat, to feast.

сме́лый (Russian): bold, courageous

Definitions

  1. bold, courageous

Ancestry of “сме́лый”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old East Slavicсъмѣлъ—
2Proto-Slavicsъmělъdaring, audacious, bold
3Proto-Slavicsъmětito dare
4Proto-Slavicsъ-good
5Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁su-good
6Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁wes-good; to be cheerful, happy; to eat, to feast

Words derived from “сме́лый”

  • смелеть
  • смелость
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₁wes- →