English
scald
Scald comes from Middle English scalden ‘to scald’, from Latin excaldō ‘to wash or bathe in warm or hot water’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ḱleh₁-.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ḱleh₁-‘hot, warm’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*ḱl̥h₁éh₁yetireconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*kalēōreconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcaleō‘to be warm or hot, glow’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEcalidus‘warm, hot’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEcaldus‘hot’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEexcaldō‘to wash or bathe in warm or hot water’
- Old Northern Frenchc. 842–1400escalder
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500scalden‘to scald’
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1603–1606scald
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ḱleh₁-‘hot, warm’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*ḱl̥h₁éh₁yetireconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*kalēōreconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcaleō‘to be warm or hot, glow’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEcalidus‘warm, hot’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEcaldus‘hot’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEexcaldō‘to wash or bathe in warm or hot water’
- Old Northern Frenchc. 842–1400escalder
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500scalden‘to scald’
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1603–1606scald
Earliest quotation: c. 1603–1606, William Shakespeare, The Tragedie of King Lear: “Mine own tears / Do scald like molten lead.”
The story
Also compare Old Norse skálda (‘to rot, fall off, of hair’), to skalli (‘baldness’), borrowed as Middle English scalle (‘hair loss infection, rash, blistering’), English scall.
Linked words
through Latin caleō ‘to be warm or hot, glow’
calorie, caloric, calorimetry, calorimeter, 15 more
through Latin caldus ‘hot’
Today it means
verb To burn with hot liquid.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *ḱleh₁- / scald