Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “bellow” come from?

Bellow comes from Middle English belwen, from Old English bylgian, from Proto-Indo-European bʰel- and bʰleh₃-, roots associated with blowing or swelling.

bellow (English): The deep roar of a large animal, or any similar...

Definitions

  1. The deep roar of a large animal, or any similar...

Ancestry of “bellow”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishbelwento cry out in anger, rage, roar; to bellow, roar
2Old Englishbelganto become angry, to swell with rage
3Proto-West Germanicbelganto get angry
4Proto-Germanicbelganąto swell
5Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰelǵʰ-to swell
6Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰel-to sound; to speak, roar, bark; shiny, white; to...
7Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰōl-—

Words derived from “bellow”

  • bellows
  • rebellow
  • bellower
  • bellowslike
  • belloweth
  • bellowest
  • bellowsome
  • bellowsfish
  • bellowfish
  • belo
Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰōl- →