Where does “bleichen” come from?
bleichen (Middle High German) comes from Old High German bleihhen, from Proto-West Germanic *blaikijan, from Proto-Germanic blaikijaną, from Proto-Germanic blaikaz, from Proto-Indo-European bʰloyǵ-os, from Proto-Indo-European bʰleyǵ- — to shine.
Ancestry of “bleichen”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old High German | bleihhen | — |
| 2 | Proto-West Germanic | *blaikijan | to bleach, make pale, whiten |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | blaikijaną | to bleach, to make pale, to whiten |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | blaikaz | pale, white |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰloyǵ-os | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰleyǵ- | to shine |