Etymology of shell

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.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗

verb

To remove the outer covering or shell of something. · To bombard, to fire projectiles at, especially with artillery. · To disburse or give up money, to pay. (Often used with out). · To fall off, as a shell, crust, etc.

noun

The calcareous or chitinous external covering of mollusks, crustaceans, and some other invertebrates. · Any mollusk having such a covering. · The exoskeleton or wing covers of certain insects. · The conjoined scutes that constitute the "shell" (carapace) of a tortoise or turtle.

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

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *(s)kelH- Proto-Indo-European *skol-yeh₂ Proto-Germanic *skaljō Proto-West Germanic *skallju Old English sċiell Middle English schelle English shell From Middle English schelle, from Old English sċel, sċell, sċiell, sċil, sċill, sċyl, sċyll, from Proto-West Germanic *skallju, from Proto-Germanic *skaljō (“shell; husk; rind; peel”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kelH- (“to cut; to separate, split”). Cognates Cognate with Dutch schil (“bark, rind, skin; crust; shell; slice”), Danish skæl (“scale; dandruff”), Faroese and Icelandic skel (“shell”), Norwegian Bokmål skjell (“shell; scale”), Norwegian Nynorsk skjel (“shell; bivalve; scale; carapace”), Gothic 𐍃𐌺𐌰𐌻𐌾𐌰 (skalja, “brick, tile”), French écaille (“scale; shell”), Friulian scae (“scale”), Italian scaglia (“scale; flake, sliver; splinter”); also Breton killi (“grove”), Cornish kelli (“grove”), Irish coill (“forest, wood”), Manx keyll (“forest, wood; grove, plantation”), Scottish Gaelic coille (“forest”), Welsh celli (“grove”), Latin scalpō (“to scratch; to carve”), Ancient Greek σκᾰ́λλω (skắllō, “to hoe, stir up”), Albanian çel (“to open up; to sprout; to hatch up; to rise”), Lithuanian skelti (“to crack, split”), Bulgarian, Macedonian, and Russian скала́ (skalá, “cliff, rock”), Czech skála (“rock”), Polish skała, skáła, szkała (“rock”), Slovak and Slovene skala (“rock”), Ukrainian скала́ (skalá), ска́ля (skálja, “cliff, rock”), Armenian քաղել (kʻaġel, “to pick; to gather; to mow”), Sanskrit कॢप् (kḷp, “to order; to manage; to perform; to create; to cut”). More at shale. Doublet of sheal. * (computing): From being viewed as an outer layer of interface between the user and the operating-system internals.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

Inherited-form mentionschelleenm
Inherited-form mentionsċelang
Inherited-form mention*skalljugmw-pro
Inherited-form mention*skaljōgem-pro · shell; husk; rind; peel
Derivation mention*(s)kelH-ine-pro · to cut; to separate, split
Cognate mentionschilnl · bark, rind, skin; crust; shell; slice
Cognate mentionskælda · scale; dandruff
Cognate mentionskjellnb · shell; scale
Cognate mentionskjelnn · shell; bivalve; scale; carapace
Cognate mention𐍃𐌺𐌰𐌻𐌾𐌰got · brick, tile
Cognate mentionécaillefr · scale; shell
Cognate mentionscaefur · scale
Cognate mentionscagliait · scale; flake, sliver; splinter
Cognate mentionkillibr · grove
Cognate mentionkellikw · grove
Cognate mentioncoillga · forest, wood
Cognate mentionkeyllgv · forest, wood; grove, plantation
Cognate mentioncoillegd · forest
Cognate mentioncellicy · grove
Cognate mentionscalpōla · to scratch; to carve
Cognate mentionσκᾰ́λλωgrc · to hoe, stir up
Cognate mentionçelsq · to open up; to sprout; to hatch up; to rise
Cognate mentionskeltilt · to crack, split
Cognate mentionskálacs · rock
Cognate mentionskałapl
Cognate mentionскала́uk
Cognate mentionքաղելhy · to pick; to gather; to mow
Cognate mentionकॢप्sa · to order; to manage; to perform; to create; to cut
Doublet mentionshealen

This page abbreviates 40 auxiliary source items. The etymology narrative is not shortened. Omission counts are available in the audit fields below; consult the original for complete auxiliary material.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "etymon",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":inh",
        "3": "enm:schelle<ety:inh<ang:sċiell>>",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nProto-Indo-European *(s)kelH-\nProto-Indo-European *skol-yeh₂\nProto-Germanic *skaljō\nProto-West Germanic *skallju\nOld English sċiell\nMiddle English schelle\nEnglish shell\n[Appendix:Glossary#inherited|Inherited]] from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Germanic\", \"term\" : \"*skaljō\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"gem-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-West Germanic\", \"term\" : \"*skallju\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"gmw-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Old English\", \"term\" : \"sċiell\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"ang\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Middle English\", \"term\" : \"schelle\", \"status\" : \"inline\", \"lang\" : \"enm\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"shell\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"shell\">"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "schelle"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English schelle"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "sċel"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English sċel"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gmw-pro",
        "3": "*skallju"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-West Germanic *skallju"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*skaljō",
        "t": "shell; husk; rind; peel"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *skaljō (“shell; husk; rind; peel”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*(s)kelH-",
        "t": "to cut; to separate, split"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Indo-European *(s)kelH- (“to cut; to separate, split”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "col-top",
      "args": {
        "1": "2",
        "2": "cog"
      },
      "expansion": "Cognates"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "nl",
        "2": "schil",
        "t": "bark, rind, skin; crust; shell; slice"
      },
      "expansion": "Dutch schil (“bark, rind, skin; crust; shell; slice”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "da",
        "2": "skæl",
        "t": "scale; dandruff"
      },
      "expansion": "Danish skæl (“scale; dandruff”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "fo,is",
        "2": "skel",
        "t": "shell"
      },
      "expansion": "Faroese and Icelandic skel (“shell”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "nb",
        "2": "skjell",
        "t": "shell; scale"
      },
      "expansion": "Norwegian Bokmål skjell (“shell; scale”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "nn",
        "2": "skjel",
        "t": "shell; bivalve; scale; carapace"
      },
      "expansion": "Norwegian Nynorsk skjel (“shell; bivalve; scale; carapace”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "got",
        "2": "𐍃𐌺𐌰𐌻𐌾𐌰",
        "t": "brick, tile"
      },
      "expansion": "Gothic 𐍃𐌺𐌰𐌻𐌾𐌰 (skalja, “brick, tile”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "fr",
        "2": "écaille",
        "t": "scale; shell"
      },
      "expansion": "French écaille (“scale; shell”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "fur",
        "2": "scae",
        "t": "scale"
      },
      "expansion": "Friulian scae (“scale”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "it",
        "2": "scaglia",
        "t": "scale; flake, sliver; splinter"
      },
      "expansion": "Italian scaglia (“scale; flake, sliver; splinter”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "br",
        "2": "killi",
        "t": "grove"
      },
      "expansion": "Breton killi (“grove”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "kw",
        "2": "kelli",
        "t": "grove"
      },
      "expansion": "Cornish kelli (“grove”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "ga",
        "2": "coill",
        "t": "forest, wood"
      },
      "expansion": "Irish coill (“forest, wood”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "gv",
        "2": "keyll",
        "t": "forest, wood; grove, plantation"
      },
      "expansion": "Manx keyll (“forest, wood; grove, plantation”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "gd",
        "2": "coille",
        "t": "forest"
      },
      "expansion": "Scottish Gaelic coille (“forest”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "cy",
        "2": "celli",
        "t": "grove"
      },
      "expansion": "Welsh celli (“grove”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "la",
        "2": "scalpō",
        "t": "to scratch; to carve"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin scalpō (“to scratch; to carve”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "grc",
        "2": "σκᾰ́λλω",
        "t": "to hoe, stir up"
      },
      "expansion": "Ancient Greek σκᾰ́λλω (skắllō, “to hoe, stir up”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "sq",
        "2": "çel",
        "t": "to open up; to sprout; to hatch up; to rise"
      },
      "expansion": "Albanian çel (“to open up; to sprout; to hatch up; to rise”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "lt",
        "2": "skelti",
        "t": "to crack, split"
      },
      "expansion": "Lithuanian skelti (“to crack, split”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "bg,mk,ru",
        "2": "скала́",
        "t": "cliff, rock"
      },
      "expansion": "Bulgarian, Macedonian, and Russian скала́ (skalá, “cliff, rock”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "cs",
        "2": "skála",
        "t": "rock"
      },
      "expansion": "Czech skála (“rock”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "pl",
        "2": "skała"
      },
      "expansion": "Polish skała"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "sk,sl",
        "2": "skala",
        "t": "rock"
      },
      "expansion": "Slovak and Slovene skala (“rock”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "uk",
        "2": "скала́"
      },
      "expansion": "Ukrainian скала́ (skalá)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "hy",
        "2": "քաղել",
        "t": "to pick; to gather; to mow"
      },
      "expansion": "Armenian քաղել (kʻaġel, “to pick; to gather; to mow”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "sa",
        "2": "कॢप्",
        "t": "to order; to manage; to perform; to create; to cut"
      },
      "expansion": "Sanskrit कॢप् (kḷp, “to order; to manage; to perform; to create; to cut”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "doublet",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "sheal"
      },
      "expansion": "Doublet of sheal"
    },
    {
      "name": "sense",
      "args": {
        "1": "computing"
      },
      "expansion": "(computing):"
    },
    {
      "name": "etymon",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":inh",
        "3": "enm:schelle<ety:inh<ang:sċiell>>",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nProto-Indo-European *(s)kelH-\nProto-Indo-European *skol-yeh₂\nProto-Germanic *skaljō\nProto-West Germanic *skallju\nOld English sċiell\nMiddle English schelle\nEnglish shell"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "*(s)kelH-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/(s)kelH-"
    ],
    [
      "*skaljō",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/skaljō"
    ],
    [
      "*skallju",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/skallju"
    ],
    [
      "sċiell",
      "sciell#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "schelle",
      "schelle#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "schelle",
      "schelle#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "sċel",
      "scel#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "sċell",
      "scell#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "sċiell",
      "sciell#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "sċil",
      "scil#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "sċill",
      "scill#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "sċyl",
      "scyl#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "sċyll",
      "scyll#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "*skallju",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/skallju"
    ],
    [
      "*skaljō",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/skaljō"
    ],
    [
      "*(s)kelH-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/(s)kelH-"
    ],
    [
      "schil",
      "schil#Dutch"
    ],
    [
      "skæl",
      "skæl#Danish"
    ],
    [
      "Faroese",
      "skel#Faroese"
    ],
    [
      "skel",
      "skel#Icelandic"
    ],
    [
      "skjell",
      "skjell#Norwegian_Bokmål"
    ],
    [
      "skjel",
      "skjel#Norwegian_Nynorsk"
    ],
    [
      "𐍃𐌺𐌰𐌻𐌾𐌰",
      "𐍃𐌺𐌰𐌻𐌾𐌰#Gothic"
    ],
    [
      "écaille",
      "écaille#French"
    ],
    [
      "scae",
      "scae#Friulian"
    ],
    [
      "scaglia",
      "scaglia#Italian"
    ],
    [
      "killi",
      "killi#Breton"
    ],
    [
      "kelli",
      "kelli#Cornish"
    ],
    [
      "coill",
      "coill#Irish"
    ],
    [
      "keyll",
      "keyll#Manx"
    ],
    [
      "coille",
      "coille#Scottish_Gaelic"
    ],
    [
      "celli",
      "celli#Welsh"
    ],
    [
      "scalpō",
      "scalpo#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "σκᾰ́λλω",
      "σκάλλω#Ancient_Greek"
    ],
    [
      "çel",
      "çel#Albanian"
    ],
    [
      "skelti",
      "skelti#Lithuanian"
    ],
    [
      "Bulgarian",
      "скала#Bulgarian"
    ],
    [
      "Macedonian",
      "скала#Macedonian"
    ],
    [
      "скала́",
      "скала#Russian"
    ],
    [
      "skála",
      "skála#Czech"
    ],
    [
      "skała",
      "skała#Polish"
    ],
    [
      "skáła",
      "skáła#Polish"
    ],
    [
      "szkała",
      "szkała#Polish"
    ],
    [
      "Slovak",
      "skala#Slovak"
    ],
    [
      "skala",
      "skala#Slovene"
    ],
    [
      "скала́",
      "скала#Ukrainian"
    ],
    [
      "ска́ля",
      "скаля#Ukrainian"
    ],
    [
      "քաղել",
      "քաղել#Armenian"
    ],
    [
      "कॢप्",
      "कॢप्#Sanskrit"
    ],
    [
      "shale",
      "shale#English"
    ],
    [
      "sheal",
      "sheal#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To remove the outer covering or shell of something.",
        "To bombard, to fire projectiles at, especially with artillery.",
        "To disburse or give up money, to pay. (Often used with out).",
        "To fall off, as a shell, crust, etc."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "informal",
        "intransitive"
      ],
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      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 239463
    },
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "The calcareous or chitinous external covering of mollusks, crustaceans, and some other invertebrates.",
        "Any mollusk having such a covering.",
        "The exoskeleton or wing covers of certain insects.",
        "The conjoined scutes that constitute the \"shell\" (carapace) of a tortoise or turtle."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "broadly"
      ],
      "recordId": "c67817869f94a94f43d74ce5931c1efa3aee66c6cdb7a1842ba095c47bd828d5",
      "rawRecordSha256": "055f383c3d515eb655f0aade6a2c85edf7db193dcf9056c44bc56fc476fee082",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 239462
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
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    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 40,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

The source etymologies

Unnumbered source etymology

Relationships mentioned by the source

Where this record stops

Source and snapshot