Where does “boulevard” come from?

boulevard (French) comes from Middle French bolevard, from Middle Dutch bolwerc, from Middle High German bolwerc, from Middle High German bole, from Old High German bolla, from Proto-West Germanic bollā, from Proto-Germanic bullǭ, from Proto-Indo-European bʰel-.

boulevard (French): causeway; boulevard

Definitions

  1. causeway; boulevard

Ancestry of “boulevard”, step by step

boulevard traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.

via Middle French bolevard

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Frenchbolevard—
2Middle Dutchbolwercbulwark, bastion
3Middle High Germanbolwerc—
4Middle High Germanboleplank, beam
5Old High Germanbollaround vessel, bowl
6Proto-West Germanicbollāball; bowl
7Proto-Germanicbullǭround object, ball; round vessel, bowl
8Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰel-to sound; to speak, roar, bark; shiny, white; to...
9Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰōl-—

via Middle French boulevard

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Frenchboulevard—
2Middle Dutchbolwerkbulwark, bastion

via Middle Dutch bollewerc

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Dutchbollewercbulwark, bastion

Words derived from “boulevard”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰōl- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰel- →Every word from Proto-Germanic bullǭ →