skel-

I. skel-¹

Also kel-. To cut.

Derivatives include scalp, skill, cutlass, half, scalpel, and sculpture.

1.

a. shell, from Old English scell, sciel, shell;

b. scagliola, from Italian scaglia, chip. Both a and b from Germanic *skaljō, piece cut off, shell, scale.

2.

a. shale, from Old English sc(e)alu, husk, shell;

b. scale¹, from Old French escale, husk, shell. Both a and b from Germanic *skalō.

3.

a. scall, from Old Norse skalli, bald head (< “closely shaved skull”);

b. scalp, from Middle English scalp, top of the head, from a source akin to Old Norse skalpr, sheath, shell. Both a and b from Germanic *skal-.

4. scale³, skoal, from Old Norse skāl, bowl, drinking vessel (made from a shell), from Germanic *skēlō.

5. shield, from Old English scield, shield (< “board”), from Germanic *skelduz.

6.

a. skill, from Old Norse skil, reason, discernment, knowledge (< “incisiveness”);

b. sheldrake, from Middle English scheld, variegated, from a Low German source akin to Middle Dutch schillen, to diversify, with past participle schillede, separated, variegated. Both a and b from Germanic *skeli-.

7. school², shoal², from Middle Low German schōle, troop, or Middle Dutch scōle, both from Germanic *skulō, a division.

8. Suffixed variant form *kel-tro-. coulter, cultrate, cutlass, from Latin culter, knife.

9. Suffixed zero-grade form *skl̥-yo-. scalene, from Greek skallein, to stir up, hoe (> skalenos, uneven).

10. Extended root *skelp-.

a. shelf, from Middle Low German schelf, shelf (< “split piece of wood”), from Germanic *skelf-;

b. possibly Germanic *halbaz (< variant root *kelp-), divided. half, halve, from Old English healf, half;

c. perhaps variant *skalp-. scalpel, sculpture, from Latin scalpere, to cut, scrape, with derivative sculpere (originally as the combining form of scalpere), to carve.

 

[Pokorny 1. (s)kel- 923.]

  II. skel-²

To be under an obligation. O-grade (perfect) form *skol-. shall, from Old English sceal (used with the first and third person singular pronouns), shall, from Germanic *skal, I owe, hence I ought.

 

[Pokorny 2. (s)kel- 927.]

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