Where does “billow” come from?
Billow comes from Middle English bilȝe, from Old Norse bylgja, from Proto-Germanic bulgijō, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European bʰleh₃-, a root meaning to swell or surge.
billow (English): A large wave, swell, surge, or undulating mass of...
Definitions
- A large wave, swell, surge, or undulating mass of...
Ancestry of “billow”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | bilwe | — |
| 2 | Old Norse | bylgja | wave, billow |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | bulgijō | wave, billow |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰelǵʰ- | to swell |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰel- | to sound; to speak, roar, bark; shiny, white; to... |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰōl- | — |
Words derived from “billow”