Where does “bald” come from?

bald (German) comes from Middle High German balde, from Old High German baldo, from Old High German bald, from Proto-West Germanic balþ, from Proto-Germanic balþaz, from Proto-Indo-European bʰel-, from Proto-Indo-European bʰōl-.

bald (German): soon, near in time; almost

Definitions

  1. soon, near in time; almost

Ancestry of “bald”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle High Germanbalde—
2Old High Germanbaldo—
3Old High Germanbaldbold, quick
4Proto-West Germanicbalþbold, brave
5Proto-Germanicbalþazstrong, bold
6Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰel-to sound; to speak, roar, bark; shiny, white; to...
7Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰōl-—

Words derived from “bald”

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