sowl

sowl · noun¹

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*seu-
2. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*suflą“entremets, viands”
3. Proto-West Germanic · inherited from*sufl
4. Old English · inherited fromsufel
5. Middle English · inherited fromsowel
6. English todaysowl

From Middle English sowel, souel, suvel (“food eaten with bread; food in general”), from Old English sufel, sufol (“anything (especially relish) eaten with bread; sowl”), from Proto-West Germanic *sufl, from Proto-Germanic *suflą (“entremets, viands”), from Proto-Indo-European *seu-, *sew- (“juice; moisture; rain”). The word is cognate with Danish sul (“sowl”), Middle Dutch suvel, zuvel (Dutch zuivel (“dairy products”)), Middle Low German suvel, süvel, suffel (“sowl”), Old High German sufil, sufili, Old Norse sufl, Norwegian suvl, sovl, sul (“milk porridge; food eaten with bread, porridge or soup”), Saterland Frisian süfel (“dairy products”), Swedish sovel (“sowl”), West Frisian suvel (“dairy products”).

sowl · noun²

1. Middle English · inherited fromsoul
2. English todaysowl

From Middle English soul, soule, sowel, sawel (“soul”). See further at soul.

sowl · verb³

Origin unknown; compare German zaulen, zauseln, zausen (“to tug, drag”). See also tousle.

sowl · verb⁴

1. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*sulwōną
2. Old English · inherited fromsolian“to make or become foul, sully”
3. Middle English · inherited fromsolen“to become dirty or soiled; to make dirty, soil; to be defiled, polluted”
4. English todaysowl

From Middle English solen (“to become dirty or soiled; to make dirty, soil; to be defiled, polluted”), from Old English solian (“to make or become foul, sully”), from Proto-Germanic *sulwōną, *sulwijaną; compare sullow and sully, and Danish søle (“to make dirty, defile”), Gothic 𐌱𐌹𐍃𐌰𐌿𐌻𐌾𐌰𐌽 (bisauljan, “to bemire”), Middle Dutch soluwen, seulewen (“to besmirch, soil”), Old French soillier, souillier, soller (“to dirty, stain; to tarnish (a reputation, etc.)”) (modern French souiller), Old High German solagōn, bisullen (“to make dirty”), German suhlen (“to make dirty, soil”), Old Saxon sulian (“to mire, soil”), West Flemish sowelen, suwelen.

Words from the same roots