sowl

Etymology

The word came into English via Middle English sowel, souel and suvel (“food eaten with bread; food in general”), which developed from Old English sufel and sufol (“anything, especially relish, eaten with bread; sowl”), from Proto-West Germanic *sufl, from Proto-Germanic *suflą (“entremets, viands”), from Proto-Indo-European *seu-, *sew- (“juice; moisture; rain”). It is cognate with Danish sul (“sowl”), Middle Dutch suvel and zuvel (Dutch zuivel, “dairy products”), Middle Low German suvel, süvel and suffel (“sowl”), Old High German sufil and sufili, Old Norse sufl, Norwegian suvl, sovl and sul (“milk porridge; food eaten with bread, porridge or soup”), Saterland Frisian süfel (“dairy products”), Swedish sovel (“sowl”) and West Frisian suvel (“dairy products”).