Where does “bookshelf” come from?
Bookshelf derives from English book and shelf, with book tracing through Middle English booke and Old English bōc to Proto-Germanic būkaz and ultimately Proto-Indo-European roots.
bookshelf (English): A shelf or shelves for storing books for easy...
Definitions
- A shelf or shelves for storing books for easy...
Ancestry of “bookshelf”, step by step
bookshelf traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English Book
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Book | the Bible |
| 2 | German | būch | book collection of sheets of paper bound together to hinge at one edge; long work fit for publication |
| 3 | Middle High German | buoch | — |
| 4 | Old High German | buoh | book |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | bōk | — |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | bakaną | to bake |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰeh₃g- | to bake, to roast, to fry |