Where does “bale” come from?
Bale comes from Proto-Indo-European bʰel-, a root meaning to swell or blow, which developed the sense of a rounded bundle through metaphorical extension.
bale (English): Evil, especially considered as an active force...
Definitions
- Evil, especially considered as an active force...
Ancestry of “bale”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | bale | An evil or wrong act; a bad deed; Maliciousness,... |
| 2 | Old French | bale | rolled-up bundle, packet of goods |
| 3 | Medieval Latin | balla | — |
| 4 | Frankish | balla | — |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | balluz | round object, ball; ball of the hand, foot, etc |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰel- | to sound; to speak, roar, bark; shiny, white; to... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰōl- | — |