Where does “bellows” come from?

Bellows comes from Middle English belwen, from Old English bylgian, from Proto-Indo-European bʰel-, ultimately tracing to the same root meaning to swell or blow.

bellows (English): A device for delivering pressurized air in a...

Definitions

  1. A device for delivering pressurized air in a...

Ancestry of “bellows”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishbelwesbellows
2Old Englishbæliġbag, pouch, bulge; bag, purse, leathern bottle,...
3Proto-Germanicbalgizbag
4Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰelǵʰ-to swell
5Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰel-to sound; to speak, roar, bark; shiny, white; to...
6Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰōl-—

Words derived from “bellows”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰōl- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰel- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰelǵʰ- →