The story
- Proto-Indo-European · derived from*tel-“plank; board”
- Proto-Germanic · inherited from*þiljǭ“board; floorboard; deck”
- Proto-West Germanic · inherited from*þilljā
- Old English · inherited fromþille“board; floorboard; plank; stake; pole”
- Middle English · inherited fromthille
- English todaythill
From Middle English thille, thylle, from Old English þille (“board; floorboard; plank; stake; pole”), from Proto-West Germanic *þilljā, from Proto-Germanic *þiljǭ (“board; floorboard; deck”), from Proto-Indo-European *tel- (“plank; board”). Cognate with Dutch deel, German Low German Deel (> English deal (“plank”)), German Diele, Swedish tilja, Icelandic þilja. Akin to English theal (“board; plank”). Doublet of deal (etymology 3) and theal (dialectal).
Words from the same roots
Proto-Germanic*þiljǭ all →
deal
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.