English

groundsill

Groundsill comes from Middle English groundselle.

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

Formed from ground + sill

Proto-Indo-European *gʰrem- ‘floor, settlement’

Proto-Germanic *grunduz ‘ground, foundation’

Proto-West Germanic *grundu

Old English grund

Middle English ground

Proto-Germanic *sulī ‘bar, sill’

Old English syll ‘sill, threshold, foundation, base, basis’

Middle English sille

English sill

Every English word from Middle English groundselle

noun A timber beam used as the foundation for a building.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.