Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “bloodlust” come from?

Bloodlust combines English blood with Middle English lust, itself from Old English lust, tracing through Proto-Germanic blōþą and Proto-Indo-European bʰel-, meaning to swell or flow.

bloodlust (English): A desire for bloodshed and carnage, often aroused...

Definitions

  1. A desire for bloodshed and carnage, often aroused...

Ancestry of “bloodlust”, 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- →