Etymology Explorer › Dutch

Where does “bolster” come from?

bolster (Dutch) comes from Middle Dutch bolster, from Proto-Germanic bulstraz, from Proto-Indo-European bʰelǵʰ-, from Proto-Indo-European bʰel-, from Proto-Indo-European bʰōl-.

bolster (Dutch): a bur, a spiny cupule, often of a chestnut

Definitions

  1. a bur, a spiny cupule, often of a chestnut

Ancestry of “bolster”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Dutchbolster—
2Proto-Germanicbulstrazbolster, pillow, cushion
3Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰelǵʰ-to swell
4Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰel-to sound; to speak, roar, bark; shiny, white; to...
5Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰōl-—
Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰōl- →