| 1 | Old French | boulanger | to bake bread |
| 2 | Frankish | bollā | bun; ball, bun, bowl, cup; ball |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | bullǭ | round object, ball; round vessel, bowl |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰel- | to sound; to speak, roar, bark; shiny, white; to... |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰōl- | — |