Skill

google

ref

late Old English scele ‘knowledge’, from Old Norse skil ‘discernment, knowledge’.

wiktionary

ref

From Middle English skill, skille (also schil, schile), from Old English scille and Old Norse skil(“a distinction, discernment, knowledge”), from Proto-Germanic *skilją(“separation, limit”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kelH-(“to split, cut”). Cognate with Danish skel(“a separation, boundary, divide”), Swedish skäl(“reason”), Dutch verschil(“difference”) and schillen(“to separate the outer layer (schil) from the product”, verb).

From Middle English skilen (also schillen), partly from Old English scylian, scielian(“to separate, part, divide off”); and partly from Old Norse skilja(“to divide, separate”); both from Proto-Germanic *skilōną, *skiljaną(“to divide, limit”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kelH-(“to split, cut”). Cognate with Danish skille(“to separate, discard”), Swedish skilja(“to distinguish, differentiate, part”), Icelandic skilja(“to understand”), Low German schelen(“to make a difference; to be squint-eyed”), Dutch schelen(“to make a difference”).

etymonline

ref

skill (n.)

late 12c., "power of discernment," from Old Norse skil "distinction, ability to make out, discernment, adjustment," related to skilja (v.) "to separate; discern, understand," from Proto-Germanic *skaljo- "divide, separate" (source also of Swedish skäl "reason," Danish skjel "a separation, boundary, limit," Middle Low German schillen "to differ," Middle Low German, Middle Dutch schele "separation, discrimination;" from PIE root *skel- (1) "to cut." Sense of "ability, cleverness" first recorded early 13c.