Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “bliss” come from?

Bliss comes from Old English bliss, derived from Old English bliðs, from Proto-West Germanic blīþisi and blīþī, from Proto-Germanic blīþiz, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European bʰlī- and bʰel-.

bliss (English): perfect happiness

Definitions

  1. perfect happiness

Ancestry of “bliss”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishbliss—
2Old Englishblissjoy
3Old Englishblīds—
4Proto-West Germanicblīþisihappiness
5Proto-West Germanicblīþīhappy
6Proto-Germanicblīþizserene, mild; pleasant, pleasing, delightful,...
7Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰlī-light, pleasant, fine; light, fine, pleasant
8Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰleh₁-to bleat; to cry; to blow
9Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰel-to sound; to speak, roar, bark; shiny, white; to...
10Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰōl-—

Words derived from “bliss”

  • blissed
  • blissless
  • blissen
  • blisslessness
  • blissdom
  • enbliss
  • blissome
  • unbliss
Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰōl- →