Etymograph

English

talk

Talk comes from Middle English talken, from Old English *tealcian ‘to talk’, from Proto-Germanic *talkōną, from *talōną ‘to count’, ultimately from PIE *dol-.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dol-reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*talōną‘to count’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Germanic, derivedc. 500 BCE–200 CE*talkōną‘to talk’reconstructedfrequentative form of *talōną
  4. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*talkōn‘to talk’reconstructed
  5. Old Englishc. 450–1150*tealcian‘to talk’reconstructed
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500talken
  7. Englishearliest quotation c. 1596–1598talk

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dol-reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*talōną‘to count’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Germanic, derivedc. 500 BCE–200 CE*talkōną‘to talk’reconstructedfrequentative form of *talōną
  4. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*talkōn‘to talk’reconstructed
  5. Old Englishc. 450–1150*tealcian‘to talk’reconstructed
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500talken
  7. Englishearliest quotation c. 1596–1598talk

Earliest quotation: c. 1596–1598, William Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice: “I will buy with you, sell with you, talk…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *dol-

tell, tall

through Proto-Germanic *talōną ‘to count, recount, tell’

tale

Another origin of talk

  1. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500talk‘conversation’
  2. Englishtodaytalk

Today it means

verb To communicate, usually by means of speech.

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

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *dol- / talk

Shirt and support for this word