Where does “bail” come from?

bail (French) comes from French bâiller, from Middle French bailler, from Old French bailler, from Latin bāiulāre, from Latin bāiulus, from Proto-Germanic pakkô — bundle; pack; package.

bail (French): lease; yonks, ages; thing, stuff, affair

Definitions

  1. lease; yonks, ages; thing, stuff, affair

Ancestry of “bail”, step by step

bail traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via French bâiller

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Frenchbâillerto yawn
2Middle Frenchbaillerto bail; to entrust; Alternative form of baailler
3Old FrenchbaillerAlternative form of baillier
4Latinbāiulāre
5Latinbāiulusa carrier: a porter
6Proto-Germanicpakkôbundle; pack; package

via Haitian Creole bagay

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Haitian Creolebagaything
2Frenchbagagebaggage; luggage
3Old Norsebaggibag, pack, satchel, bundle
4Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰak-
Every word from Proto-Germanic pakkôEvery word from Latin bāiulusEvery word from Latin bāiulāre