Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “bileful” come from?

bileful (English) comes from English bile, from English boil, from Middle English bile, from Old English bȳl, from Proto-Germanic būlō, from Proto-Indo-European bʰel-, from Proto-Indo-European bʰōl-.

bileful (English): Poisonous, jaundiced, spiteful, choleric, angry

Definitions

  1. Poisonous, jaundiced, spiteful, choleric, angry

Ancestry of “bileful”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishbileA bitter brownish-yellow or greenish-yellow...
2EnglishboilA localized accumulation of pus in the skin,...
3Middle Englishbile—
4Old Englishbȳl—
5Proto-Germanicbūlōboil; sore
6Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰel-to sound; to speak, roar, bark; shiny, white; to...
7Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰōl-—
Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰōl- →