Where does “bad” come from?
bad (German) comes from Middle High German bāt, from Old High German bad, from Proto-West Germanic baþ, from Proto-Germanic baþą, from Proto-Indo-European bʰeh₁- — to foment; warm; bathe.
Ancestry of “bad”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle High German | bāt | — |
| 2 | Old High German | bad | — |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | baþ | bath |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | baþą | bath |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰeh₁- | to foment; warm; bathe |