Where does “bowl” come from?

Bowl comes from Middle English bolle, from Old English bolla, from Latin bulla meaning a bubble or rounded swelling, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European bʰel- meaning to swell.

bowl (English): A roughly hemispherical container used to hold,...

Definitions

  1. A roughly hemispherical container used to hold,...

Ancestry of “bowl”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishbollepod; shell
2Old Englishbollabowl
3Proto-Germanicbullôround object; ball; bowl
4Proto-Germanicballôball
5Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰel-to sound; to speak, roar, bark; shiny, white; to...
6Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰōl-—

Words derived from “bowl”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰōl- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰel- →Every word from Proto-Germanic ballô →