Where does “Bloemfontein” come from?
Bloemfontein comes from Dutch bloem and fons, where bloem derives from Middle Dutch bloeme, and fons from Latin fontanus, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European bʰel-.
Ancestry of “Bloemfontein”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Afrikaans | Bloemfontein | — |
| 2 | Dutch | Bloemfontein | — |
| 3 | Dutch | bloem | flower of flowering plant; flour of wheat or corn |
| 4 | Middle Dutch | bloeme | flower |
| 5 | Old Dutch | bluomo | — |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | blōmô | flower |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | blōaną | to bloom, to flower |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰleh₃- | bloom, flower |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰel- | to sound; to speak, roar, bark; shiny, white; to... |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰōl- | — |