Where does “black” come from?
black (Middle English) comes from Middle English blak, from Old English blæc, from Proto-West Germanic blaik, from Proto-Germanic blaikaz, from Proto-Indo-European bʰloyǵ-os, from Proto-Indo-European bʰleyǵ- — to shine.
black (Middle English): Alternative form of blak
Ancestry of “black”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | blak | black; black-haired; dark, blackish |
| 2 | Old English | blæc | black; ink |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | blaik | pale, white |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | blaikaz | pale, white |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰloyǵ-os | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰleyǵ- | to shine |
Words derived from “black”