Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “bode” come from?

Bode comes from Old English boda, from Proto-Germanic budô, from Proto-Indo-European bʰewdʰ- and bʰeydʰ-, roots of uncertain original meaning.

bode (English): To indicate by signs, as future events; to be an...

Definitions

  1. To indicate by signs, as future events; to be an...

Ancestry of “bode”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishbodemessenger
2Old Englishbodamessenger, envoy, herald, apostle, angel; prophet
3Proto-Germanicbudômessenger
4Proto-Germanicbeudanąto offer, to bid
5Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰewdʰ-to be awake, be aware

Words derived from “bode”

  • boding
  • bodeful
  • bodement
  • bodingly
  • unboding
  • ill-boding
  • misbode
Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰewdʰ- →