silk

The story

1. Old Chinese絲 (*sə)der.?
2. Ancient Greekσήρ (sḗr)
3. Ancient Greekσηρῐκός (sērĭkós)
4. Late Latinsēricus
5. Proto-West Germanic*seluk
6. Old Englishseolc
7. Old Norsesilkiinflu.?
8. Middle Englishsilk
9. English todaysilk

From Middle English silk, sylk, selk, selc, from Old English sioloc, seoloc, seolc (“silk”). The immediate source is uncertain; it probably reached English via the Baltic trade routes (cognates in Old Norse silki (> Danish silke, Swedish silke (“silk”)), Russian шёлк (šolk), obsolete Lithuanian zilkai̇̃), all ultimately from Late Latin sēricus, from Ancient Greek σηρικός (sērikós), ultimately from an Oriental language (represented now by e.g. Chinese 絲 /丝 (sī, “silk”)). Displaced Old English sīde (“silk”). Compare Seres. Doublet of seric and serge.

Words from the same roots