English
shall
Shall comes from Middle English schal, from Old English sċeal, from Proto-Germanic *skal, from PIE *skel- ‘to owe’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*skel-‘to owe’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*skalreconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*skulan‘to owe’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150sċeal
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500schal
- Englishearliest quotation 1611shall
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*skel-‘to owe’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*skalreconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*skulan‘to owe’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150sċeal
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500schal
- Englishearliest quotation 1611shall
Earliest quotation: 1611, The Holy Bible, London: […] Robert Barker: “And the gates of it ſhall not bee ſhut…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *skel- ‘to owe, be under obligation’
Today it means
verb Used before a verb to indicate the simple future tense in the first person singular or plural.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *skel- / shall