Where does “below” come from?

below (Middle English) comes from Old English bælg, from Proto-Germanic balgiz, from Proto-Indo-European bʰelǵʰ-, from Proto-Indo-European bʰel-, from Proto-Indo-European bʰōl-.

Ancestry of “below”, step by step

below traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.

via Old English bælg

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishbælgbelly
2Proto-Germanicbalgizbag
3Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰelǵʰ-to swell
4Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰel-to sound; to speak, roar, bark; shiny, white; to...
5Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰōl-—

via Old English belg

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishbelgleather bag

via Old English bæliġ

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishbæliġbag, pouch, bulge; bag, purse, leathern bottle,...
Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰōl- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰel- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰelǵʰ- →