English
beshield
Beshield comes from Old English besċyldian ‘to shield, defend oneself’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *(s)kelH- ‘to split’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*(s)kelH-‘to split’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*skelduz‘shield’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanic, derivedc. 500 BCE–200 CE*skildijaną‘to provide a shield’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150sċildanas sċieldan‘to shield’
- Old English, derivedc. 450–1150besċyldian‘to shield, defend oneself’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500bischilden
- Englishearliest quotation 1872beshield
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*(s)kelH-‘to split’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*skelduz‘shield’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanic, derivedc. 500 BCE–200 CE*skildijaną‘to provide a shield’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150sċildanas sċieldan‘to shield’
- Old English, derivedc. 450–1150besċyldian‘to shield, defend oneself’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500bischilden
- Englishearliest quotation 1872beshield
Earliest quotation: 1872, The Net:: “Our bearers now began to call themselves Natal Kafirs,…”
Proto-Indo-European *h₁epi ‘at, near’
Proto-Indo-European *h₁pi
Proto-Germanic *bi ‘near, by’
Proto-Germanic *bi-
Proto-West Germanic *bi-
English be-
Proto-Indo-European *(s)kelH- ‘cut, split’
Proto-Germanic *skelduz
Proto-West Germanic *skeldu
Old English scield
Middle English scheld ‘a shield’
English shield
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *(s)kelH- ‘to split’
half, skill, skull, shell, shale, shilling, halter, shoal, schilling, halve, hapa, schelling, shelve, 14 more
Today it means
verb To shield around or about; protect; defend.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *(s)kelH- / beshield