Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “Blackbeard” come from?

Blackbeard is a compound of English black and Middle English berd from Old English beard, ultimately derived through Old Norse bleikr and Proto-Indo-European roots referring to brightness and growth.

Ancestry of “Blackbeard”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishBlackAlternative letter-case form of black
2Old Frenchblancwhite
3Late Latinblancuswhite
4Frankishblankbright; gleaming, white, blinding; bright,...
5Proto-Germanic*blank—
6Proto-Germanicblankazbright, shining, white, gleaming, blinding
7Proto-Indo-Europeanbhleg-to shine, white; to shine, burn, scorch
Every word from Proto-Indo-European bhleg- →