Where does “Bloom” come from?

Bloom comes from Middle English blom, whose ultimate origin and meaning remain unknown.

Bloom (English): A blossom; the flower of a plant; an expanded bud

Definitions

  1. A blossom; the flower of a plant; an expanded bud

Ancestry of “Bloom”, step by step

Bloom traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.

via Swedish Blom

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1SwedishBlom—
2Swedishblommaa flower; wife; to flower, to bloom, to blossom
3Old Swedishblōmeflower
4Old Norseblómi—
5Proto-Germanicblōmôflower
6Proto-Germanicblōanąto bloom, to flower
7Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰleh₃-bloom, flower
8Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰel-to sound; to speak, roar, bark; shiny, white; to...
9Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰōl-—

via Dutch bloem

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Dutchbloemflower of flowering plant; flour of wheat or corn
2Middle Dutchbloemeflower
3Old Dutchbluomo—
4Proto-West Germanic*blōmōflower

via Middle English blom

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishblomAlternative form of blome; ingot
2Old Englishblōmaflower; lump of metal; lump of iron; lump of...

Words derived from “Bloom”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰōl- →