Etymology Explorer › English

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

  1. A shelf or shelves for storing books for easy...

Ancestry of “bookshelf”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishBook—
2Germanbūch—
3Middle High Germanbuoch—
4Old High Germanbuohbook
5Proto-Germanicbōk—
6Proto-Germanicbakanąto bake
7Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰeh₃g-to bake, to roast, to fry
Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰeh₃g- →