Where does “black” come from?
Black comes from Middle English black, from Old English blæc, from Old Norse bleikr, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European bʰleyǵ-, a root meaning to burn or shine.
black (English): Absorbing all light and reflecting none; dark and...
Definitions
- Absorbing all light and reflecting none; dark and...
Ancestry of “black”, step by step
black traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English blake
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | blake | Alternative form of blak |
| 2 | Old English | blāc | shining, white, pale; bleak, pale, pallid, wan,... |
| 3 | Old English | -ian | Forms verbs from nouns and adjectives |
| 4 | Old English | -ōjan | — |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | -ōn | Creates denominative verbs from nouns; Creates... |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | -ōną | Creates denominative verbs from nouns; Creates... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -eh₂yéti | Creates iterative/ frequentative/ intensive... |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -yéti | Creates intransitive, often deponent,... |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | yé- | — |
| 10 | Chichewa | iye | he, she |
via Middle English black
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | black | Alternative form of blak |
| 2 | Middle English | blak | black; black-haired; dark, blackish |
| 3 | Old English | blæc | black; ink |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | blaik | pale, white |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | blaikaz | pale, white |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰloyǵ-os | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰleyǵ- | to shine |