school

school · noun, verb¹

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*seǵʰ-“to hold, have, possess”
2. Ancient Greek · derived fromσχολή“spare time, leisure”
3. Late Latin · derived fromschola
4. Proto-West Germanic · inherited from*skōlu
5. Old English · inherited fromscōl“place of education”
6. Middle English · inherited fromscole
7. English todayschool

From Middle English scole, from Old English scōl (“place of education”), from Proto-West Germanic *skōlu, from Late Latin schola, scola (“learned discussion or dissertation, lecture, school”), from Ancient Greek σχολή (skholḗ, “spare time, leisure”), from Proto-Indo-European *seǵʰ- (“to hold, have, possess”). Doublet of schola and shul. Compare Old Frisian skūle, schūle (“school”) (West Frisian skoalle, Saterland Frisian Skoule), Dutch school (“school”), Low German School (“school”), Old High German scuola (“school”), German Schule (“school”), Old Norse skóli (“school”). Influenced in some senses by Middle English schole (“group of persons, host, company”), from Middle Dutch scole (“multitude, troop, band”). See school (“group”). Related also to Old High German sigi (German Sieg, “victory”), Old English siġe, sigor (“victory”).

school · noun, verb²

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*(s)kʷel-“crowd, people”
2. Proto-West Germanic · derived from*skulu“troop, group”
3. Old Dutch · derived from*scola
4. Middle Dutch · derived fromscole“multitude, troop of people, swarm of animals”
5. Middle English · inherited fromscole
6. English todayschool

From Middle English scole, schole (“group of persons, multitude, host, school of fish”), from Middle Dutch scole (“multitude, troop of people, swarm of animals”), from Old Dutch *scola, *skola (“troop, multitude”), from Proto-West Germanic *skulu (“troop, group”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kʷel- (“crowd, people”). Cognate with Middle Low German schōle (“multitude, troop”), Old English scolu (“troop or band of people, host, multitude, school of fish”). Doublet of shoal.

Words from the same roots