Where does “baseball” come from?
baseball (American English) comes from English ball, from Middle English ball, from Middle English bal, from Old English beall, from English beal, from Old English hyll, from Albanian hulli, from Proto-Germanic hulliz — to rise, to be tall; hill.
baseball (American English): A sport common in North America, the Caribbean,...
Definitions
- A sport common in North America, the Caribbean,...
Ancestry of “baseball”, step by step
baseball traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English ball
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | ball | A solid or hollow sphere, or roughly spherical... |
| 2 | Middle English | ball | Alternative form of bal; Alternative form of bale |
| 3 | Middle English | bal | A ball; A rounded or spherical lump or bump,... |
| 4 | Old English | beall | ball |
| 5 | English | beal | A small inflammatory tumor; pustule; To gather... |
| 6 | Old English | hyll | hill |
| 7 | Albanian | hulli | furrow |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | hulliz | hill |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | kl̥Hnís | hill |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | kelH- | to rise, to be tall; hill |
via English base
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | base | Something from which other things extend; a... |
| 2 | Middle English | baas | Alternative form of bas; Alternative form of base |
| 3 | Middle English | bas | Low, short; lacking in height or altitude;... |
| 4 | Old French | bas | low |
| 5 | Latin | Bassus | thick, fat, stumpy, short, low, base |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | βάσις | step; rhythm; foot |
| 7 | Proto-Hellenic | gʷə́tis | step |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷémtis | step, act of walking |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷem- | to step |