Where does “bullying” come from?

Bullying derives from English bully, which comes from Dutch boel, from Dutch boedel, from Old Dutch buothal, from Old English -ung, from Proto-Germanic -ungō.

bullying (English): An act of intimidating a person to do something,...

Definitions

  1. An act of intimidating a person to do something,...

Ancestry of “bullying”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishbullyA person who is intentionally, physically, or...
2Dutchboela lot, bunch; mess, disorderly heap; quarrel
3Dutchboedelestate
4Middle Dutchboedel—
5Old Dutchbuothal—

Words derived from “bullying”

Every word from Old Dutch buothal →Every word from Middle Dutch boedel →Every word from Dutch boedel →