Etymology Explorer › Russian

Where does “смелеть” come from?

смелеть (Russian) comes from Russian сме́лый, 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.

Ancestry of “смелеть”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Russianсме́лыйbold, courageous
2Old East Slavicсъмѣлъ—
3Proto-Slavicsъmělъdaring, audacious, bold
4Proto-Slavicsъmětito dare
5Proto-Slavicsъ-good
6Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁su-good
7Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁wes-good; to be cheerful, happy; to eat, to feast

Words derived from “смелеть”

  • осмелеть
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₁wes- →