Where does “baleful” come from?
Baleful comes from Middle English baleful, derived from Old English bealuful, meaning harmful or destructive.
baleful (English): Portending evil; ominous; Miserable, wretched,...
Definitions
- Portending evil; ominous; Miserable, wretched,...
Ancestry of “baleful”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | baleful | evil, horrible, malicious; dangerous, harmful,... |
| 2 | Old English | bealuful | baleful |
| 3 | Old English | -ful | full of; -ful |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | -fullaz | -ful |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | fullaz | full; the whole, the entire |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | pl̥h₁nós | full |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | pleh₁- | to fill |
Words derived from “baleful”