To crack. To split?

The etymology of the word “kill” traces back to several Old and Middle languages, highlighting a long history that connects modern English with its linguistic ancestors.

• Old English: The word “kill” originates from the Old English “cyllan” or “cwellan,” which means “to kill, murder, execute.” This usage already carried the primary sense of causing death that we recognize today.
• Proto-Germanic: Going further back, the Old English term is derived from the Proto-Germanic “*kwaljanÄ…,” a verb which also meant “to kill or to strike.” This Proto-Germanic root suggests a common linguistic ancestry shared with other Germanic languages.
• Indo-European Roots: It is theorized that the Proto-Germanic term itself may have evolved from the reconstructed Proto-Indo-European root “*gÊ·elh₃-,” which had a base meaning related to hitting or striking. This root is the source of various words in Indo-European languages related to death, killing, or striking.

The evolution of the word “kill” from its Proto-Indo-European roots through Proto-Germanic and into Old English demonstrates how languages evolve and borrow from one another. The term has maintained its grim meaning throughout centuries, underscoring the universal and timeless nature of the concept it describes.