Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “bolt” come from?

bolt (Middle English) comes from Old English bolt, from Old English -tūn, from Old English tūn, from Proto-West Germanic tūn, from Proto-Germanic tūną, from Gaulish dunum, from Proto-Celtic dūnom, from Proto-Indo-European dʰewh₂- — smoke; mist, haze.

Ancestry of “bolt”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishboltbolt
2Old English-tūn—
3Old Englishtūnenclosure, yard; place; dwelling
4Proto-West Germanictūnfence
5Proto-Germanictūnąfence; enclosure
6Gaulishdunumfort; hill, hillfort
7Proto-Celticdūnomstronghold, rampart
8Proto-Indo-Europeandʰewh₂-smoke; mist, haze

Words derived from “bolt”

  • bolt
  • thunderbolt
  • Bolt
  • bolting
  • deadbolt
  • unbolt
  • bolter
  • eyebolt
  • bolthole
  • ringbolt
  • bolthead
  • firebolt
  • kingbolt
  • boltlike
  • bolteth
  • boltless
  • rebolt
  • drawbolt
  • lockbolt
  • birdbolt
  • superbolt
  • fishbolt
  • driftbolt
  • boltable
Every word from Proto-Indo-European dʰewh₂- →