Where does “boil” come from?
Boil comes from Middle English bile, from Old French boillir, from Latin bullio, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European bʰel- meaning to swell or bubble.
boil (English): A localized accumulation of pus in the skin,...
Definitions
- A localized accumulation of pus in the skin,...
Ancestry of “boil”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | bile | — |
| 2 | Old English | bȳl | — |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | būlō | boil; sore |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰel- | to sound; to speak, roar, bark; shiny, white; to... |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰōl- | — |
Words derived from “boil”