Etymology

shelfmate

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Today it means: A book or other object located on the same shelf. Full definition →

English mate ← Middle English mate ← Middle Low German mate
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The story

  1. Proto-Indo-European*(s)kelH-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*(s)kel(H)-p-
  3. Proto-Germanic*skelfō
  4. Proto-West Germanic*skelfu:
  5. Proto-West Germanic*skilfijā
  6. Old Englishsċylfe?
  7. Middle Englishschelfe
  8. Englishshelf
  9. Proto-Indo-European*ḱe?
  10. Proto-Indo-European*ḱóm
  11. Proto-Germanic*ga-
  12. Proto-Indo-European*meh₂d-
  13. Proto-Germanic*matiz
  14. Proto-Germanic*matjô
  15. Proto-West Germanic*gamatjô
  16. Old Saxongimato
  17. Middle Low Germanmate
  18. Middle Englishmate
  19. Englishmate
  20. English todayshelfmate

From shelf + -mate.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.