English
silly
Silly comes from Old English sǣliġ ‘lucky, fortunate’, from Proto-West Germanic *sālīg ‘blissful, prosperous, happy’, and ultimately from Proto-Germanic *sēliz.
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*sēliz‘happy’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*sāli‘happiness’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanic, derivedc. 200–500 CE*sālīg‘blissful’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150sǣliġ‘lucky’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500seely
- Englishearliest quotation a. 1450silly
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*sēliz‘happy’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*sāli‘happiness’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanic, derivedc. 200–500 CE*sālīg‘blissful’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150sǣliġ‘lucky’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500seely
- Englishearliest quotation a. 1450silly
Earliest quotation: a. 1450, Seven Sages: “The sylyman lay and herde, / And hys wyf…”
Formed from seel ‘happiness, bliss’ + -y
Proto-Indo-European *sel- ‘jump, spring’
Proto-Germanic *sēliz ‘luck, joy’
Proto-West Germanic *sāli
Old English sǣl ‘time, occasion, a fit time, season, opportunity’
Middle English sele
English seel
The story
The semantic evolution is “lucky” to “innocent” to “naive” to “foolish”.
Linked words
through Proto-West Germanic *sāli ‘happiness, prosperity’
Today it means
adj Laughable or amusing through foolishness or a foolish appearance.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Germanic *sēliz / silly