Wordwyrt

shell

/ˈʃel/SHEL
/ˈʃɛl/SHEL

Meaninga husk, a shell

Common meaning: a hard outer case

Journey through time

  1. Aryan root · reconstructed√SKAR or SKAL‘shear, cut, cleave, scratch, dig’No written record; from Skeat’s list of Aryan roots, no. 406, p. 744 · scan
  2. Old Englishscell‘scyll’sourceB&T
  3. Middle Englishschellesource
  4. Englishmeaning shiftsscyll → a hard outer caseshell‘a hard outer case’ · today

Sources & notes

Meaning: “Meaning” is the sense that emerges from the word’s roots; “Common meaning” is today’s everyday sense. Both written by us.

Pronunciation

  • UK IPA: converted from the US form by rule (unchecked). Respelling: generated.
  • No UK recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-GB voice.
  • US IPA: CMUdict (BSD-2), converted to IPA by rule. Respelling: generated.
  • No US recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-US voice.

Origin: Built on Old English scell ‘a husk, a shell’.

Roots

  • scell Old English “a husk, a shell”

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