Where does “bloodshot” come from?
Bloodshot comes from English blood and shot, where blood derives from Old English blōþą through Proto-Germanic, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European bʰel- meaning to swell or flow.
bloodshot (English): reddened and inflamed because of congested blood...
Definitions
- reddened and inflamed because of congested blood...
Ancestry of “bloodshot”, step by step
bloodshot 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 shot
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | shot | Worn out or broken; Woven from warp and weft... |
| 2 | Middle English | schot | A missile or projectile; a thrown or fired weapon |
| 3 | Old English | Scot | shot, act of shooting |
| 4 | Old Norse | skot | — |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | skutą | shot |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)kewd- | to advance, push; to drive, propel |