Where does “black” come from?
black (French) comes from English black, from Middle English blake, from Old English blāc, from Old English -ian, from Old English -ōjan, from Proto-West Germanic -ōn, from Proto-Germanic -ōną, from Proto-Indo-European -eh₂yéti — he, she.
black (French): relating to a black person or culture; black...
Definitions
- relating to a black person or culture; black...
Ancestry of “black”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | black | Absorbing all light and reflecting none; dark and... |
| 2 | Middle English | blake | Alternative form of blak |
| 3 | Old English | blāc | shining, white, pale; bleak, pale, pallid, wan,... |
| 4 | Old English | -ian | Forms verbs from nouns and adjectives |
| 5 | Old English | -ōjan | — |
| 6 | Proto-West Germanic | -ōn | Creates denominative verbs from nouns; Creates... |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | -ōną | Creates denominative verbs from nouns; Creates... |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -eh₂yéti | Creates iterative/ frequentative/ intensive... |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -yéti | Creates intransitive, often deponent,... |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | yé- | — |
| 11 | Chichewa | iye | he, she |