Etymology Explorer › Irish

Where does “ball” come from?

ball (Irish) comes from Old Irish ball, from Proto-Celtic ballos, from Proto-Indo-European bʰel-, from Proto-Indo-European bʰōl-.

ball (Irish): organ; component part; member

Definitions

  1. organ; component part; member

Ancestry of “ball”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Irishballa body part; member of a group; part, portion
2Proto-Celticballosmember, penis
3Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰel-to sound; to speak, roar, bark; shiny, white; to...
4Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰōl-—

Words derived from “ball”

  • ballra
  • ballraíocht
Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰōl- →