Where does “balkline” come from?
balkline (English) comes from English line, from Middle English line, from Old English līne, from Proto-West Germanic *līnā, from Proto-Germanic līnǭ, from Proto-Germanic līną, from Proto-Indo-European līno- — flax.
Ancestry of “balkline”, step by step
balkline traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English line
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | line | A path through two or more points (compare ‘segment’); a continuous mark, including as made by a pen; any path, curved or straight |
| 2 | Middle English | line | rope, cord; line, rule, ruler, measure; rule,... |
| 3 | Old English | līne | line, rope, cord; line, cable, rope, hawser,... |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | *līnā | line, chord, rope, string |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | līnǭ | that which is made of flax; line, chord, rope,... |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | līną | flax |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | līno- | flax |
via English balk
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | balk | An uncultivated ridge formed in the open field... |
| 2 | Middle English | balke | balk, ridge, beam; Alternative form of bakke |
| 3 | Old English | balca | balk, beam; bank, ridge; a covering |
| 4 | Old Norse | balkr | — |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | balkô | beam, balk |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰelǵ- | to balk, beam |