Where does “blink” come from?

blink (German) comes from German blinken, from Middle Low German blinken, from Proto-Germanic blinkaną, from Proto-Germanic blīkaną, from Proto-Indo-European bʰel-, from Proto-Indo-European bʰōl-.

blink (German): singular imperative of blinken; first-person...

Definitions

  1. singular imperative of blinken; first-person...

Ancestry of “blink”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Germanblinkento blink; to indicate
2Middle Low Germanblinken—
3Proto-Germanicblinkanąto shine, glitter, twinkle; to blink, wink
4Proto-Germanicblīkanąto gleam; shine
5Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰel-to sound; to speak, roar, bark; shiny, white; to...
6Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰōl-—
Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰōl- →