'sell' originates from Old English, specifically the word 'sellan', where the root meant 'to give' or 'hand over'.

'sell' changed from Old English 'sellan' into Middle English forms such as 'sellen' and later became the modern English word 'sell'.

Initially, it meant 'to give or hand over' in a general sense, but over time it evolved into the more specific commercial sense of 'to transfer ownership in exchange for money'.