Where does “ball” come from?
ball (Norwegian Bokmål) comes from Danish bål, from French bal, from Late Latin ballare, from Ancient Greek βαλλίζω, from Proto-Indo-European gʷelH- — to throw, reach, pierce; to hit by throwing.
ball (Norwegian Bokmål): ball
Ancestry of “ball”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Danish | bål | fire, bonfire, pyre |
| 2 | French | bal | dance party, ball |
| 3 | Late Latin | ballare | to play, dance; to dance; present active... |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | βαλλίζω | to dance, jump about |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷelH- | to throw, reach, pierce; to hit by throwing |
Words derived from “ball”