shalk

The story

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*(s)kelH-“to cleave, separate, part, divide”
2. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*skalkaz“servant, knight”
3. Proto-West Germanic · inherited from*skalk
4. Old English · inherited fromscealc“servant; man, soldier, sailor”
5. Middle English · inherited fromschalk
6. English todayshalk

From Middle English schalk, scalk, from Old English scealc (“servant; man, soldier, sailor”), from Proto-West Germanic *skalk, from Proto-Germanic *skalkaz (“servant, knight”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kelH- (“to cleave, separate, part, divide”). Cognate with German Schalk (“joker”), Old Norse skálkr (“servant, rogue”) ( > Danish and Swedish skalk), Gothic 𐍃𐌺𐌰𐌻𐌺𐍃 (skalks, “servant”).

Words from the same roots