Etymology
An ON source for this obscure v. (and the derivative n.
skeltyng) has long been suspected (e.g. Bj.'s tentative note), both on the grounds of its attestation exclusively in N alliterative texts and the existence of Scandinavian parallels for at least parts of the form and range of senses. The apparent range of senses in context is varied and contested, with interpretations reflecting the etymological uncertainties. The occurrences in
Cl refer to Lot's wife's deceitful act of flavouring their angelic guests' food with salt (827); the action or inception of 'skete skarmoch' between Nebuchadnezzar's besieging forces and the men of Judea (1186); the raising or sounding of the alarm at a surprise attack (1206); and the effort by Belshazzar's scholars examining the mysterious writing 'þe skil for-to fynde' (1554).
MED connects this last usage with the one in
Erk 278, where the bishop paraphrases Psalm 24 'þe skilfulle and þe unskathely skelton ay to me' (see GollErk 278n, Burrow and Turville-Petre (1992) 278n), which it glosses 'come to', and thus 'apply (one's self) to'. A range of Gmc comparanda have been proposed to explain both the form and the various individual senses, incl. WGmc verbs from PGmc
*skeldan- 'to announce, reproach' (cp. OFris
skelda, ODu
sceldan, OHG
sceltan; see further Kroonen s.v.) for
Cl 827 (
MED, GollCl 827n, who notes the ME v. appears wk., however) and, more compellingly (so e.g. Anderson), OIcel
skella 'to make slam, clash; strike, smite; scold, burst (out laughing)' (possibly two separate related verbs, one a causative: see de Vries s.v.
skella (3), cp.
skjalla 'clash, clatter'). Thus
MED and Burrow and Turville-Petre (1992) tentatively suggest an ON etymon and McGee lists it as 'a bare possibility' (446). Savage (827n) goes further to say it is 'possible' the ME v. is formed on the pp.
skellt of the ON v. represented by OIcel
skella. This would provide a good explanation for most of the usages (
Cl 827, 1186 and 1206 and
DT), though ?'hasten' (
OED's suggestion for
Cl 1554 and
Erk 278) would require a more speculative sense extension. GollErk (278n) explains this usage instead as a word of distinct origin < OFr
*esquelete,
eschelete 'a small ladder', rendering Lat
ascendere in a reference to the ladder into heaven. He maintains the likelihood of
skella as etymon for the instance at
Cl 1554 (offering the rather ingenious reading 'they cudgelled their brains'). Gollancz refers the remaining instances of the v. and its derivative in
DT to OFr
escheleter,
esqualeter 'to ring a little bell' formed on
eschele 'a little bell'. Only Savage takes up this explanation (in part), adopting Gollancz's etymon for the v. in
Erk and adding a comparison to MnE dial
skelt 'roam, wander' (cited once by
EDD) to suggest a broader meaning 'approach, bend one's way towards' which could apply (at a stretch) to most other instances as well. The possibility of multiple sources of input thus cannot be ruled out, though given the form, range of senses and distribution an ON etymon is the single most plausible source.
PGmc Ancestor
*skaljan- or *skellan-
Proposed ON Etymon (OIcel representative)
cp. skella 'make to slam, clash; strike; scold; burst (out)'
(ONP skella (3) (vb.))
Other Scandinavian Reflexes
cp. Far skella, Icel skella, Norw skjella, Dan skjede, Sw skälla
OE Cognate
?cp. āscylian 'separate, shell'
Phonological and morphological markers
[absence of palatalization of */sk/]
(may not be applicable)
Summary category
D1c