Where does “blæc” come from?

blæc (Old English) comes from Proto-West Germanic blaik, from Proto-Germanic blaikaz, from Proto-Indo-European bʰloyǵ-os, from Proto-Indo-European bʰleyǵ- — to shine.

blæc (Old English): black; ink

Definitions

  1. black; ink

Ancestry of “blæc”, step by step

blæc traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Proto-West Germanic blaik

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-West Germanicblaikpale, white
2Proto-Germanicblaikazpale, white
3Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰloyǵ-os—
4Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰleyǵ-to shine

via Proto-West Germanic *blak

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-West Germanic*blakburnt, blackened
2Proto-Germanicblakazburnt; black, swart
3Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰlegos—
4Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰleg-to burn, shine

Words derived from “blæc”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰleyǵ- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰloyǵ-os →Every word from Proto-Germanic blaikaz →