Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “badge” come from?

Badge comes from Middle English bagge, from Old Norse baggi, from Proto-Indo-European bʰak-, meaning to strike or hit.

badge (English): A distinctive mark, token, sign, emblem or...

Definitions

  1. A distinctive mark, token, sign, emblem or...

Ancestry of “badge”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishbadge—
2Anglo-Normanbage—
3Proto-Germanicbaugaza bend; bow; something bent ; circle; a ring;...
4Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰewgʰ-to bend; curve, arch

Words derived from “badge”

  • rebadge
  • badgeless
  • badgelike
  • badgemaking
  • badgework
  • badge
  • badger
  • バッジ
  • 배지
Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰewgʰ- →