Where does “bald” come from?

bald (Frankish) comes from Proto-Germanic balþaz, from Proto-Indo-European bʰel-, from Proto-Indo-European bʰōl-.

Ancestry of “bald”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-Germanicbalþazstrong, bold
2Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰel-to sound; to speak, roar, bark; shiny, white; to...
3Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰōl-—
Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰōl- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰel- →Every word from Proto-Germanic balþaz →
bald — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer