Where does “doorbell” come from?
Doorbell comes from English door and Middle English belle, deriving ultimately from Proto-Germanic durz and Proto-Indo-European bʰel-.
doorbell (English): A device on or adjacent to an outer door for...
Definitions
- A device on or adjacent to an outer door for...
Ancestry of “doorbell”, step by step
doorbell traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English Bell
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | Bell | a telephone utility; a Baby Bell |
| 2 | Middle English | belle | — |
| 3 | Old English | belle | bell |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | bellā | — |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | bellǭ | bell |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰel- | to sound; to speak, roar, bark; shiny, white; to... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰōl- | — |
via English door
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | door | A portal of entry into a building, room, or... |
| 2 | Middle English | dore | A door or gate structure barring an entrance |
| 3 | Old English | dora | bumblebee |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | durô | bumblebee, humming insect |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | dʰer- | to support; to hold |
Words derived from “doorbell”