English
scaddle
Scaddle comes from Middle English scathel ‘harmful’, from Proto-Germanic *skaþōną ‘to injure, harm, damage’, and ultimately from *skaþô.
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*skaþô1‘injury, harm, damage’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*skaþōną2‘to injure, harm, damage’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*skaþulaz3‘harmful’reconstructed
- Old Norsec. 800–1350*skǫðull3reconstructed
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500scathel3‘harmful’
- Englishtodayscaddle3
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Proto-Germanic *skaþōną
- 2 Wiktionary, Proto-Germanic *skaþulaz
- 3 Wiktionary, English scaddle
Earlier history uncertain. See Wiktionary.
Lineage
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*skaþôWiktionary, Proto-Germanic *skaþōną‘injury, harm, damage’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*skaþōnąWiktionary, Proto-Germanic *skaþulaz‘to injure, harm, damage’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*skaþulazWiktionary, English scaddle‘harmful’reconstructed
- Old Norsec. 800–1350*skǫðullWiktionary, English scaddlereconstructed
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500scathelWiktionary, English scaddle‘harmful’
- EnglishtodayscaddleWiktionary, English scaddle
Formed from scathe + -le
Proto-Germanic *skaþô ‘damage, scathe’
Old Norse skaði ‘damage, harm’
Middle English scath
English scathe
Every English word from Proto-Germanic *skaþô
Today it means
adj Wild, mischievous, thievish.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “scaddle”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Proto-Germanic *skaþōną, Proto-Germanic *skaþulaz. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.
Etymograph / Proto-Germanic *skaþô / scaddle