English
sell
Sell comes from Middle English sellen ‘to gift’, from Proto-West Germanic *salljan ‘to hand over’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *selh₁- ‘to take’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*selh₁-‘to take’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*saljaną‘to offer’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*salljan‘to hand over’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150sellan‘give’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500sellen‘to gift’
- Englishearliest quotation 1605sell
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*selh₁-‘to take’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*saljaną‘to offer’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*salljan‘to hand over’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150sellan‘give’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500sellen‘to gift’
- Englishearliest quotation 1605sell
Earliest quotation: 1605, Ben[jamin] Jonson: “Then weaues Other crosse-plots New tricks for safety, are…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *selh₁- ‘to take’
council, sale, consult, counsel, consul, consigliere, 3 more
Today it means
verb To transfer goods or provide services in exchange for money.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *selh₁- / sell