seel

Etymology

Came into English via Middle English sel, sele, from Old English *sǣle (“good, fortunate, happy”) — found in Old English unsǣle (“evil, wicked”) — from Proto-Germanic *sēliz (“good, happy”), from Proto-Indo-European *sel-, *sēl- (“to calm, quiet, be favourable”). It is cognate with Danish sæl (“blissful”), Dutch zalig (“blissful”), Gothic ???? (sēls, “good, kind, useful”), Icelandic sæll (“blissful”), Latin sōlor (“to comfort, console”), and Swedish säll (“blissful”).