Where does “שמאָל” come from?
שמאָל (Yiddish) comes from Middle High German smal, from Old High German smal, from Proto-West Germanic smal, from Proto-Germanic smalaz, from Proto-Indo-European (s)mal- — small; little.
שמאָל (Yiddish): narrow
Ancestry of “שמאָל”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle High German | smal | — |
| 2 | Old High German | smal | small |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | smal | small |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | smalaz | small |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)mal- | small; little |