Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “bloodline” come from?

Bloodline combines English blood and English line, ultimately deriving from Proto-Indo-European bʰel-, meaning to swell or flow.

bloodline (English): The abstract link between a person and their...

Definitions

  1. The abstract link between a person and their...

Ancestry of “bloodline”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishBloodA member of the Los Angeles gang The Bloods
2Middle Englishbloodblood
3Old Englishblōdblood
4Proto-West Germanicblōdblood
5Proto-Germanicblōþąblood
6Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰleh₃-bloom, flower
7Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰel-to sound; to speak, roar, bark; shiny, white; to...
8Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰōl-—
Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰōl- →