Etymology
1. O.E.
sceal "I owe/he owes, will have to, ought to, must" (infinitive
sculan, pt.
sceolde), a common Gmc. preterite-present verb, from P.Gmc.
*skal-, *skul- (cf. O.S.
sculan, O.N., Swed.
skola, M.Du.
sullen, O.H.G.
solan, Ger.
sollen, Goth.
skulan "to owe, be under obligation;" related to O.E.
scyld "guilt," Ger.
Schuld "guilt, debt"). The sense shifted in M.E. from a notion of "obligation" to include "futurity." Its past tense form has become should (q.v.). Cognates outside Gmc. are Lith.
skeleti "to be guilty,"
skilti "to get into debt;" O.Prus.
skallisnan "duty,"
skellants "guilty."
2. From Middle English schal (infinitive schulen), from Old English sċeal (infinitive sċulan (“should, must”)), from Proto-West Germanic *skulan, from Proto-Germanic *skal (infinitive *skulaną), from Proto-Indo-European *skel- (“to owe, be under obligation”).
3. Cognate with Scots sall, sal (“shall”), North Frisian skal, schal, Saterland Frisian skäl, schäl, schal (infinitive skälle, schälle), West Frisian sil (infinitive sille (“shall”)), Dutch zal (infinitive zullen (“shall”)), Low German schall (infinitive schölen (“shall”)), German soll (infinitive sollen (“ought to”)), Danish skal (infinitive skulle (“shall”)), Icelandic skal (infinitive skulu (“shall”)), Afrikaans sal, Swedish skall (“shall”) (infinitive skola). See: Scots '
sall', Afrikaans '
sal'.
Verbs referencing "shall"
Dutch
zullen, English
should, Danish
skulle, German, old spelling
sollen, Old Norse
skulu, German, Pennsylvania
solle, Low Saxon schölen.