Where does “ballast” come from?

Ballast comes from Middle English bar, Old English hlæst, Proto-Germanic hlastuz, and Proto-Indo-European kleh₂-, ultimately from the root bʰos-.

ballast (English): Heavy material that is placed in the hold of a...

Definitions

  1. Heavy material that is placed in the hold of a...

Ancestry of “ballast”, step by step

ballast traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.

via Middle English bar

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishbarAlternative form of bor
2Old Englishbærbare, naked, unconcealed
3Proto-West Germanicbaʀbare, naked
4Proto-Germanicbazazbare, naked
5Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰosósbare, barefoot
6Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰos-to sally forth, barge, hurtle out; bare, barefoot

via French ballast

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1FrenchballastHeavy material that is placed in the hold of a...
2Germanballastballast
3Russianбалластballast; dead weight
4Dutchballastballast; baggage
5Middle Dutchballast—

via Middle English last

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishlastfault, vice; load
2Old Englishhlæstload, freight, cargo
3Proto-Germanichlastuzload, burden, cargo, freight
4Proto-Indo-Europeankleh₂-to put; to lay out
5Proto-Indo-Europeankelh₂-to beat; to break

Words derived from “ballast”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰos- →