Where does “blēwe” come from?
blēwe (Middle English) comes from Anglo-Norman blew, from Middle French bleu, from Old French blöe, from Latvian blāvus, from Old High German blāo, from Proto-West Germanic blāu, from Proto-Germanic blēwaz, from Proto-Indo-European bʰlēw- — yellow, blond, grey.
Ancestry of “blēwe”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Anglo-Norman | blew | blue |
| 2 | Middle French | bleu | blue |
| 3 | Old French | blöe | blue |
| 4 | Latvian | blāvus | accusative plural masculine form of blāvs |
| 5 | Old High German | blāo | blue, dark, grey; blue; yellow |
| 6 | Proto-West Germanic | blāu | blue |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | blēwaz | blue; a dark bluish or grey colour, black |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰlēw- | yellow, blond, grey |