*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of sale

From Middle English sale, from Old English sala (“act of selling, sale”), from Old Norse sala (“sale”), from Proto-Germanic *salō (“delivery”), from Proto-Indo-European *selh₁- (“to grab”).

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
noun

An exchange of goods or services for currency or credit. · Ellipsis of discount sale (“the sale of goods at reduced prices”). · The act of putting up for auction to the highest bidder.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle English sale, from Old English sala (“act of selling, sale”), from Old Norse sala (“sale”), from Proto-Germanic *salō (“delivery”), from Proto-Indo-European *selh₁- (“to grab”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Root classification mention*selh₁-ine-pro
  • Inherited-form mentionsaleenm
  • Inherited-form mentionsalaang
  • Derivation mentionsalanon
  • Derivation mention*salōgem-pro
  • Derivation mention*selh₁-ine-pro
Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "root",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*selh₁-"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "sale"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English sale"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "sala",
        "4": "",
        "5": "act of selling, sale"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English sala (“act of selling, sale”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "non",
        "3": "sala",
        "4": "",
        "5": "sale"
      },
      "expansion": "Old Norse sala (“sale”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*salō",
        "4": "",
        "5": "delivery"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *salō (“delivery”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*selh₁-",
        "4": "",
        "5": "to grab"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Indo-European *selh₁- (“to grab”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "sale",
      "sale#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "sala",
      "sala#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "sala",
      "sala#Old_Norse"
    ],
    [
      "*salō",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/salō"
    ],
    [
      "*selh₁-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/selh₁-"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "An exchange of goods or services for currency or credit.",
        "Ellipsis of discount sale (“the sale of goods at reduced prices”).",
        "The act of putting up for auction to the highest bidder."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "countable",
        "uncountable",
        "abbreviation",
        "alt-of",
        "ellipsis"
      ],
      "recordId": "d040fedc44f056a239b1b7e73a2cf9375f79bd3300a1678d6e58caf2ddd56316",
      "rawRecordSha256": "901c065f7f6c4ea14bb58b4763f4910469ba070546dc400da4faf097d3d19684",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 26498
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
noun

A hall.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle English sale, sal, from Old English sæl (“room, hall, castle”), from Proto-Germanic *salą (“house, hall”), from Proto-Indo-European *sel- (“home, dwelling, village”). Cognate with West Frisian seal, Dutch zaal, German Saal, Swedish sal, Icelandic salur, Lithuanian sala (“village”). Doublet of sala and salle. Related also to salon, saloon.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Inherited-form mentionsaleenm
  • Inherited-form mentionsælang
  • Inherited-form mention*salągem-pro
  • Derivation mention*sel-ine-pro
  • Cognate mentionsealfy
  • Cognate mentionzaalnl
  • Cognate mentionSaalde
  • Cognate mentionsalsv
  • Cognate mentionsaluris
  • Cognate mentionsalalt
  • Doublet mentionsalaen
  • Doublet mentionsalleen
Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "sale"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English sale"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "sæl",
        "4": "",
        "5": "room, hall, castle"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English sæl (“room, hall, castle”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*salą",
        "4": "",
        "5": "house, hall"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *salą (“house, hall”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*sel-",
        "4": "",
        "5": "home, dwelling, village"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Indo-European *sel- (“home, dwelling, village”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "fy",
        "2": "seal"
      },
      "expansion": "West Frisian seal"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "nl",
        "2": "zaal"
      },
      "expansion": "Dutch zaal"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "de",
        "2": "Saal"
      },
      "expansion": "German Saal"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "sv",
        "2": "sal"
      },
      "expansion": "Swedish sal"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "is",
        "2": "salur"
      },
      "expansion": "Icelandic salur"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "lt",
        "2": "sala",
        "3": "",
        "4": "village"
      },
      "expansion": "Lithuanian sala (“village”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "doublet",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "sala",
        "3": "salle"
      },
      "expansion": "Doublet of sala and salle"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "sale",
      "sale#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "sal",
      "sal#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "sæl",
      "sæl#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "*salą",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/salą"
    ],
    [
      "*sel-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/sel-"
    ],
    [
      "seal",
      "seal#West_Frisian"
    ],
    [
      "zaal",
      "zaal#Dutch"
    ],
    [
      "Saal",
      "Saal#German"
    ],
    [
      "sal",
      "sal#Swedish"
    ],
    [
      "salur",
      "salur#Icelandic"
    ],
    [
      "sala",
      "sala#Lithuanian"
    ],
    [
      "sala",
      "sala#English"
    ],
    [
      "salle",
      "salle#English"
    ],
    [
      "salon",
      "salon#English"
    ],
    [
      "saloon",
      "saloon#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A hall."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "obsolete"
      ],
      "recordId": "49c0232a5aaedae7aa64f38b16e5cfff8a8224cf2249f914849a2f52261c0700",
      "rawRecordSha256": "01c9185bc0ab7a928901cab73215fd6f9a055c5cbfaf014d85d2447152fe1307",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 26499
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for sale →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-c2FsZQ