Where does “šaljivac” come from?
šaljivac (Serbo-Croatian) comes from Serbo-Croatian šála, from German schāle, from Middle High German schāle, from Old High German scāla, from Proto-West Germanic *skalu, from Proto-Germanic skalō, from Proto-Indo-European (s)kelH-, from Proto-Indo-European (s)kel- — to bend, crook; bent, crooked; leg, heel, knee,...
šaljivac (Serbo-Croatian): prankster, jokester
Ancestry of “šaljivac”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Serbo-Croatian | šála | — |
| 2 | German | schāle | — |
| 3 | Middle High German | schāle | — |
| 4 | Old High German | scāla | — |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | *skalu | — |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | skalō | shell; lump, ball |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)kelH- | to cut; to split, to separate |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)kel- | to bend, crook; bent, crooked; leg, heel, knee,... |