Where does “blechen” come from?
blechen (Middle English) comes from Old English blǣċan, from Proto-West Germanic *blaikijan, from Proto-Germanic blaikijaną, from Proto-Germanic blaikaz, from Proto-Indo-European bʰloyǵ-os, from Proto-Indo-European bʰleyǵ- — to shine.
Ancestry of “blechen”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old English | blǣċan | to bleach, whiten |
| 2 | Proto-West Germanic | *blaikijan | — |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | blaikijaną | to bleach, to make pale, to whiten |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | blaikaz | pale, white |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰloyǵ-os | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰleyǵ- | to shine |