Where does “bold” come from?

bold (Middle English) comes from Old English bald, from Proto-West Germanic balþ, from Proto-Germanic balþaz, from Proto-Indo-European bʰel-, from Proto-Indo-European bʰōl-.

Ancestry of “bold”, step by step

bold traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Old English bald

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old EnglishbaldAlternative form of beald
2Proto-West Germanicbalþbold, brave
3Proto-Germanicbalþazstrong, bold
4Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰel-to sound; to speak, roar, bark; shiny, white; to...
5Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰōl-—

via Old English bold

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishboldhouse, dwelling, building
2Proto-Germanicbudlą—
3Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰew-to grow, swell; to swell, wax, grow; to blow; to...

Words derived from “bold”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰōl- →
bold — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer