Where does “blueberry” come from?
Blueberry combines English blue with English berry, where blue derives from Middle English bery, Old English byrġan, and Proto-Indo-European roots including bʰel- meaning to shine or swell.
blueberry (English): An edible round berry, belonging to the...
Definitions
- An edible round berry, belonging to the...
Ancestry of “blueberry”, step by step
blueberry traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English Blue
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Blue | A letterman at Oxford or Cambridge; A member of... |
| 2 | Middle English | blēwe | — |
| 3 | Anglo-Norman | blew | blue |
| 4 | Middle French | bleu | blue |
| 5 | Old French | blöe | blue |
| 6 | Latvian | blāvus | accusative plural masculine form of blāvs |
| 7 | Old High German | blāo | blue, dark, grey; blue; yellow |
| 8 | Proto-West Germanic | blāu | blue |
| 9 | Proto-Germanic | blēwaz | blue; a dark bluish or grey colour, black |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰlēw- | yellow, blond, grey |