Where does “bulwerk” come from?
bulwerk (Middle English) comes from Dutch bolwerk, from Middle Dutch bolwerc, from Middle High German bolwerc, from Middle High German bole, from Old High German bolla, from Proto-West Germanic bollā, from Proto-Germanic bullǭ, from Proto-Indo-European bʰel-.
Ancestry of “bulwerk”, step by step
bulwerk traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Dutch bolwerk
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dutch | bolwerk | bastion, bulwark |
| 2 | Middle Dutch | bolwerc | bulwark, bastion |
| 3 | Middle High German | bolwerc | — |
| 4 | Middle High German | bole | plank, beam |
| 5 | Old High German | bolla | round vessel, bowl |
| 6 | Proto-West Germanic | bollā | ball; bowl |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | bullǭ | round object, ball; round vessel, bowl |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰel- | to sound; to speak, roar, bark; shiny, white; to... |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰōl- | — |