Sill
/sɪl/noun
A horizontal piece of wood or stone at the bottom of a window or doorway.
Did you know?In Old English, *syl* referred to a threshold or base beam, tying modern *sill* to the ancient idea of a boundary line between inside and outside.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*sed-
“to sit”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*suljō
“a beam, plank, or threshold piece”
Old English
OE
syl
“threshold, sill, or base beam”
Middle English
ME
sille
“a horizontal timber or stone at the foot of a door or window”
Modern English
English
sill
“the bottom horizontal member of a window or doorway”