Where does “bull” come from?

Bull comes from Middle English bulle, from Latin bulla, from Proto-Indo-European bʰel-, a root expressing swelling or bulging.

bull (English): An adult male of domesticated cattle or oxen; A...

Definitions

  1. An adult male of domesticated cattle or oxen; A...

Ancestry of “bull”, step by step

bull traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.

via Middle English bole

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishbolebull, steer, male cow; A heraldic bull; Taurus
2Old Englishbulabull, steer
3Old Norsebolibull
4Proto-Germanicbulôbull
5Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰl̥no-—
6Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰel-to sound; to speak, roar, bark; shiny, white; to...
7Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰōl-—

via Middle English bule

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishbuleboil, tumor; bull
2Old Englishbȳleboil, carbuncle, bile; swelling, blister; boil,...
3Proto-Germanicbūlijǭswelling
4Proto-Germanicbūlǭswelling; bump; boil
5Proto-Indo-Europeanbew-"low-pitch humming noise"

via Middle English bul

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishbul—

Words derived from “bull”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰōl- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰel- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰl̥no- →