Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “bile” come from?

Boil comes from Middle English bile, from Old French boillir, from Latin bullio, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European bʰel- meaning to swell or bubble.

bile (English): A bitter brownish-yellow or greenish-yellow...

Definitions

  1. A bitter brownish-yellow or greenish-yellow...

Ancestry of “bile”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishboilA localized accumulation of pus in the skin,...
2Middle Englishbile—
3Old Englishbȳl—
4Proto-Germanicbūlōboil; sore
5Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰel-to sound; to speak, roar, bark; shiny, white; to...
6Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰōl-—

Words derived from “bile”

  • biliuria
  • bileful
  • bilestone
Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰōl- →