Where does “bell” come from?

Bell descends from Middle English belle, Old English bellan, Proto-Germanic bellǭ, and Proto-Indo-European bʰel-, a root meaning to sound or roar.

bell (English): A percussive instrument made of metal or other...

Definitions

  1. A percussive instrument made of metal or other...

Ancestry of “bell”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishbelle—
2Old Englishbellebell
3Proto-West Germanicbellā—
4Proto-Germanicbellǭbell
5Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰel-to sound; to speak, roar, bark; shiny, white; to...
6Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰōl-—

Words derived from “bell”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰōl- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰel- →Every word from Proto-Germanic bellǭ →