Etymology Explorer › Tok Pisin

Where does “smel” come from?

smel (Tok Pisin) comes from English smell, from Middle English smellen, from Old English smiellan, from Proto-West Germanic smallijan, from Proto-Indo-European smel- — to burn, smoulder, smoke; tar, pitch; to burn,...

smel (Tok Pisin): scent

Definitions

  1. scent

Ancestry of “smel”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishsmellA sensation, pleasant or unpleasant, detected by...
2Middle EnglishsmellenTo sense a smell or smells; To give off an odor;...
3Old Englishsmiellan
4Proto-West Germanicsmallijanto glow, burn, smoulder
5Proto-Indo-Europeansmel-to burn, smoulder, smoke; tar, pitch; to burn,...
Every word from Proto-Indo-European smel- →