Etymology Explorer › Old English

Where does “bolt-tun” come from?

bolt-tun (Old English) comes from Old English bolt, from Old English -tūn, from Old English tūn, from Proto-West Germanic tūn, from Proto-Germanic tūną, from Gaulish dunum, from Proto-Celtic dūnom, from Proto-Indo-European dʰewh₂- — smoke; mist, haze.

Ancestry of “bolt-tun”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishboltbolt
2Old English-tūn—
3Old Englishtūnenclosure, yard; place; dwelling
4Proto-West Germanictūnfence
5Proto-Germanictūnąfence; enclosure
6Gaulishdunumfort; hill, hillfort
7Proto-Celticdūnomstronghold, rampart
8Proto-Indo-Europeandʰewh₂-smoke; mist, haze

Words derived from “bolt-tun”

  • Bolton
  • boltonite
Every word from Proto-Indo-European dʰewh₂- →