Where does “bells” come from?

Bells comes from Middle English belle, Old English bellan meaning to roar or sound, from Proto-Germanic bellǭ, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European bʰel-.

bells (English): plural of bell; API pl; Ship's bells; the strokes...

Definitions

  1. plural of bell; API pl; Ship's bells; the strokes...

Ancestry of “bells”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishbellA percussive instrument made of metal or other...
2Middle Englishbelle—
3Old Englishbellebell
4Proto-West Germanicbellā—
5Proto-Germanicbellǭbell
6Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰel-to sound; to speak, roar, bark; shiny, white; to...
7Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰōl-—

Words derived from “bells”

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