Where does “bulwark” come from?
Bulwark comes from Middle English bulwerk, from Middle Dutch bolwerc, from Middle Low German bole, from Middle High German bole.
bulwark (English): A defensive wall or rampart; A defense or...
Definitions
- A defensive wall or rampart; A defense or...
Ancestry of “bulwark”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | bulwerk | — |
| 2 | Dutch | bolwerk | bastion, bulwark |
| 3 | Middle Dutch | bolwerc | bulwark, bastion |
| 4 | Middle High German | bolwerc | — |
| 5 | Middle High German | bole | plank, beam |
| 6 | Old High German | bolla | round vessel, bowl |
| 7 | Proto-West Germanic | bollā | ball; bowl |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | bullǭ | round object, ball; round vessel, bowl |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰel- | to sound; to speak, roar, bark; shiny, white; to... |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰōl- | — |