Where does “boulevard” come from?
boulevard (Middle French) comes 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-, from Proto-Indo-European bʰōl-.
Ancestry of “boulevard”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle High German | bolwerc | — |
| 2 | Middle High German | bole | plank, beam |
| 3 | Old High German | bolla | round vessel, bowl |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | bollā | ball; bowl |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | bullǭ | round object, ball; round vessel, bowl |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰel- | to sound; to speak, roar, bark; shiny, white; to... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰōl- | — |
Words derived from “boulevard”