spelc

Old English

Alternative forms

• spilċ

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *spelkǭ, *spilkiz, from Proto-Indo-European *(s)pelg-, from Proto-Indo-European *(s)pel- (“to split”). Cognate with Old Norse spelka, spjalk.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /spelk/, [speɫk]

Noun

spelc ?

1. a splint; splinter

Usage notes

• The precise gender of spelc is unknown. Clark-Hall surmises that it is masculine.
• There may have been a pronunciation variant spelċ, or a related word spilċ with /t͡ʃ/.

Related terms

• spilċan

Descendants

• Middle English: spelk, spelke
  • English: spelk
  • Scots: spelk

References

• John R. Clark Hall (1916) “spelc”, in A Concise Anglo-Saxon Dictionary‎^[1], 2nd edition, New York: Macmillan