syll

Old English

Alternative forms

• sylle

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *sulī (“bar, sill”), from Proto-Indo-European *sel-, *swel- (“beam, board, frame, threshold”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /syll/, [syɫ]

Noun

syll f

1. a beam that serves as a foundation or support, basis, sill
   • late 10th century, Ælfric, "The Deposition of St. Cuthbert, Bishop"

     Þā wolde se hālga sum hūs timbrian to his nīedbrȳċum, mid his ġebrōðra fultume. Þā bæd hē hīe ānre sylle þæt hē meahte þæt hūs on þā sǣhealfe mid þǣre underleċġan. Þā ġebrōðra him behēton þæt hīe woldon þæt trēow þonne hīe eft cōmon him ġebringan. Þā cōmon hīe swā swā hīe cwǣdon, and wurdon swā þēah þæs trēowes unġemyndiġe, ac God his wæs ġemyndiġ, and him þā sylle self āsende mid þām sǣlīcum flōde.

     Then the saint decided to build a house for himself, with his brothers' help. So he asked them for a sill to support the house on the side facing the sea. The brothers went out and promised him that they would bring him the tree when they came back. Then they did come back, just like they said they would, but they had forgotten about the tree. But God remembered, and sent him a sill himself with a flood from the sea.

2. (figurative) a base, support, foundation
   • Ðonne hī ne bēoþ mid nānre sylle underscotene ðæs godcundlīcan mægenes

     Then they are with no foundation supportive of the divine power

Declension

Declension of syll (strong i-stem)

Case	Singular	Plural
nominative	syll	sylle, sylla
accusative	syll, sylle	sylle, sylla
genitive	sylle	sylla
dative	sylle	syllum

Descendants

• Middle English: sylle, sülle, selle, sille
  • English: sill
  • Scots: sil, sill
• → Latin: silla

Old Norse

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *sulī, whence also English sill.

Noun

syll f

1. sill

   Synonym: bjalki

Declension

  Declension of syll (strong consonant stem)

feminine	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	syll	syllin	syllr	syllrnar
accusative	syll	syllina	syllr	syllrnar
dative	syll	syllinni	syllum	syllunum
genitive	syllar	syllarinnar	sylla	syllanna

Descendants

• Icelandic: syll
• Middle Norwegian: svill
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: svill m or f
  • Norwegian Bokmål: svill m or f
• Old Swedish: syl
  • Swedish: syll c
• Danish: syld c

References

• “syll”, in Geir T. Zoëga (1910) A Concise Dictionary of Old Icelandic, Oxford: Clarendon Press

Swedish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sʏl/, [sʏlː]

• Audio

  (file)

Noun

syll c

1. a railroad sleeper

Declension

Declension of syll
	Singular		Plural
	Indefinite	Definite	Indefinite	Definite
Nominative	syll	syllen	syllar	syllarna
Genitive	sylls	syllens	syllars	syllarnas