Etymology Explorer › English

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”

  • bleaching
  • bleachery
  • bleachfield
  • photobleach
  • bleachworks
  • bleachy
  • postbleaching
  • prebleach
  • biobleaching
  • postbleach
  • unbleachable
  • bleachable
  • bleachability
  • bleachlike
  • nonbleaching
  • overbleach
  • rebleach
  • nonbleach
  • unbleaching
  • bleachless
Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰleyǵ- →