Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “bald” come from?

Bald comes from Middle English belde, Old English byldan, Proto-Germanic balþijaną, and Proto-Indo-European bʰel-, which also connects to bʰew-.

bald (English): Having no hair, fur or feathers; Denuded of any...

Definitions

  1. Having no hair, fur or feathers; Denuded of any...

Ancestry of “bald”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishballedbald

Words derived from “bald”

  • balding
  • baldness
  • baldly
  • baldheaded
  • baldhead
  • baldy
  • baldish
  • baldfaced
  • baldie
  • baldpate
  • balden
  • nonbald
  • nonbalding
  • semibald
  • baldpated
  • antibaldness
  • balder
  • baldist
  • baldrib
Every word from Middle English balled →