Where does “bloodletting” come from?
Bloodletting is a compound of English blood and English let, derived from Old English blōd and Old English lǣtan, both ultimately tracing to Proto-Indo-European roots bʰleh₃- and bʰel-.
bloodletting (English): The archaic practice of treating illness by...
Definitions
- The archaic practice of treating illness by...
Ancestry of “bloodletting”, step by step
bloodletting traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English Blood
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Blood | A member of the Los Angeles gang The Bloods |
| 2 | Middle English | blood | blood |
| 3 | Old English | blōd | blood |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | blōd | blood |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | blōþą | blood |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰleh₃- | bloom, flower |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰel- | to sound; to speak, roar, bark; shiny, white; to... |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰōl- | — |
via English letting
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | letting | present participle of let; The rental of... |
| 2 | English | let | To allow to, not to prevent; To leave; To allow... |
| 3 | Middle English | leten | to let |
| 4 | Old English | lǣtan | to let; leave; to let go, leave; to allow, let... |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | lātan | to let, to allow; to leave alone |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | lētaną | to let, to allow; to leave alone |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | leh₁d- | to be tired |