Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “bound” come from?

Bound comes from Middle English bounde, from French bondir meaning "to leap," from Latin bombitire, from Latin bombus, from Proto-Indo-European bʰendʰ-.

bound (English): simple past tense and past participle of bind;...

Definitions

  1. simple past tense and past participle of bind;...

Ancestry of “bound”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishboundAlternative form of band
2Middle EnglishbandThat which obstructs one's free will and free...
3Old Englishbendbond, chain, fetter, band, ribbon, ornament,...
4Proto-Germanicbandizband
5Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰendʰ-to bind; bond

Words derived from “bound”

  • boundary
  • bounds
  • boundless
  • bounding
  • inbound
  • outbound
  • spellbound
  • transboundary
  • bounden
  • earthbound
  • westbound
  • northbound
  • southbound
  • eastbound
  • bounder
  • homebound
  • hidebound
  • boundaryless
  • snowbound
  • boundlessness
  • housebound
  • boundlessly
  • hardbound
  • icebound
Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰendʰ- →