Where does “blacklist” come from?
Blacklist comes from English black and Middle English list, which derives from Proto-Germanic līstǭ, tracing back through Proto-Indo-European leizd to the root bhleg-, meaning to burn or shine.
blacklist (English): A list or set of people or entities to be shunned...
Definitions
- A list or set of people or entities to be shunned...
Ancestry of “blacklist”, step by step
blacklist traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English Black
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Black | Alternative letter-case form of black |
| 2 | Old French | blanc | white |
| 3 | Late Latin | blancus | white |
| 4 | Frankish | blank | bright; gleaming, white, blinding; bright,... |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | *blank | — |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | blankaz | bright, shining, white, gleaming, blinding |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | bhleg- | to shine, white; to shine, burn, scorch |