Where does “تل” come from?

تل (South Levantine Arabic) comes from Arabic تَلّ, from Proto-Semitic tall-, from Proto-Afroasiatic tVl- — hill.

تل (South Levantine Arabic): hill, mound

Definitions

  1. hill, mound

Ancestry of “تل”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Arabicتَلّhillock; hill, elevation
2Proto-Semitictall-hill
3Proto-AfroasiatictVl-hill
Every word from Proto-Afroasiatic tVl- →Every word from Proto-Semitic tall- →Every word from Arabic تَلّ →