Where does “bleach” come from?

Bleach derives from Middle English bleche, Old English blǣċ, and Proto-Germanic blaikijaną, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European roots bʰel- and bʰleh₃- meaning to shine or gleam.

bleach (English): Pale; bleak; To treat with bleach, especially so...

Definitions

  1. Pale; bleak; To treat with bleach, especially so...

Ancestry of “bleach”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishbleche—
2Old Englishblǣċ—
3Proto-Germanicblaikazpale, white
4Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰloyǵ-os—
5Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰleyǵ-to shine

Words derived from “bleach”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰleyǵ- →