Etymology Explorer › Scottish Gaelic

Where does “speal” come from?

speal (Scottish Gaelic) comes from Middle Irish spelaid, from Middle English pelen, from Old French peler, from Latin pilō, from Latin pila, from Latin pīlus, from Latin pīlum, from Proto-Italic pistlom — to grind, to crush.

speal (Scottish Gaelic): mow, cut down, scythe; use cutting words; scythe,...

Definitions

  1. mow, cut down, scythe; use cutting words; scythe,...

Ancestry of “speal”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Irishspelaid—
2Middle Englishpelenpeel
3Old Frenchpeler—
4Latinpilō—
5Latinpilamortar; pillar; pier
6Latinpīlus—
7Latinpīlum—
8Proto-Italicpistlom—
9Proto-Indo-Europeanpis-tlo-—
10Proto-Indo-Europeanpeys-to grind, to crush
Every word from Proto-Indo-European peys- →