Where does “bolt” come from?

bolt (Low German) comes from Middle Low German bolte, from Old Saxon bolt, from Proto-West Germanic bolt, from Proto-Germanic bultaz, from Proto-Indo-European bʰeld- — to knock, strike.

Ancestry of “bolt”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Low Germanboltebolt
2Old Saxonbolt—
3Proto-West Germanicboltbolt arrow
4Proto-Germanicbultazbolt
5Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰeld-to knock, strike

Words derived from “bolt”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰeld- →Every word from Proto-Germanic bultaz →Every word from Proto-West Germanic bolt →