Where does “bombshell” come from?
Bombshell comes from English bomb, from French bombe, from Italian bomba, from Latin bombus, from Ancient Greek βόμβος, all ultimately from Proto-Indo-European (s)kelH- meaning to resound or echo.
bombshell (English): A bomb or artillery shell designed to explode on...
Definitions
- A bomb or artillery shell designed to explode on...
Ancestry of “bombshell”, step by step
bombshell traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English Shell
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Shell | A diminutive of the female given name Michelle or Shelly |
| 2 | Middle English | schelle | — |
| 3 | Old English | sċiell | shell |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | skallju | scale; shell |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | skaljō | shell; husk; rind; peel |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)kelH- | to cut; to split, to separate |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)kel- | to bend, crook; bent, crooked; leg, heel, knee,... |
via English bomb
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | bomb | An explosive device used or intended as a weapon;... |
| 2 | French | bombé | rounded, convex; past participle of bomber |
| 3 | Italian | bomba | bomb |
| 4 | Italian | bombo | bumblebee; buzzing |
| 5 | Latin | bombus | A buzz or humming sound |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | βόμβος | any deep, hollow sound, humming, buzzing,... |