Where does “sell” come from?
sell (Scots) comes from Middle English sellen, from Old English sellan, from Proto-West Germanic salljan, from Proto-Germanic saljaną, from Proto-Indo-European selh₁- — to take.
sell (Scots): To sell
Ancestry of “sell”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | sellen | — |
| 2 | Old English | sellan | to give; to give up for money; betray |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | salljan | to give, to hand over |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | saljaną | to offer, to give |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | selh₁- | to take |