Where does “billethead” come from?
billethead (English) comes from English billet, from Middle French billette, from Old French billette, from Old French bille, from Vulgar Latin billia, from Gaulish bilia, from Proto-Celtic belyom, from Proto-Indo-European bʰolh₃yom.
billethead (English): A round piece of timber at the bow or stern of a...
Definitions
- A round piece of timber at the bow or stern of a...
Ancestry of “billethead”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | billet | A short informal letter; A written order to... |
| 2 | Middle French | billette | small ball; a game using small balls; firewood;... |
| 3 | Old French | billette | billet |
| 4 | Old French | bille | stick; baton; written decree, announcement |
| 5 | Vulgar Latin | billia | — |
| 6 | Gaulish | bilia | tall tree |
| 7 | Proto-Celtic | belyom | tree |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰolh₃yom | leaf |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰleh₃- | bloom, flower |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰel- | to sound; to speak, roar, bark; shiny, white; to... |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰōl- | — |