Where does “själ” come from?
själ (Swedish) comes from English shawl, from Middle English schalen, from Middle English schale, from Old English sċealu, 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,...
själ (Swedish): soul; Obsolete spelling of säl
Definitions
- soul; Obsolete spelling of säl
Ancestry of “själ”, step by step
själ traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English shawl
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | shawl | A square or rectangular piece of cloth worn as a... |
| 2 | Middle English | schalen | to shell |
| 3 | Middle English | schale | shell, husk; scale |
| 4 | Old English | sċealu | shell, husk; shell, husk, pod; husk |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | *skalu | shell, husk |
| 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,... |
via Old Danish siæl
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old Danish | siæl | — |
| 2 | Old Saxon | sēola | soul |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | saiwalu | soul |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | saiwalō | soul, life force |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | saiwiz | sea, ocean |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | sīhwaną | to filter |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | seykʷ- | to moisten; to filter |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | sey- | to be wet; dribble; run; to stretch one's arm;... |