Where does “billard” come from?
billard (Old French) comes from Old French bille, from Vulgar Latin billia, from Gaulish bilia, from Proto-Celtic belyom, from Proto-Indo-European bʰolh₃yom, from Proto-Indo-European bʰleh₃-, from Proto-Indo-European bʰel-, from Proto-Indo-European bʰōl-.
Ancestry of “billard”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old French | bille | stick; baton; written decree, announcement |
| 2 | Vulgar Latin | billia | — |
| 3 | Gaulish | bilia | tall tree |
| 4 | Proto-Celtic | belyom | tree |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰolh₃yom | leaf |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰleh₃- | bloom, flower |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰel- | to sound; to speak, roar, bark; shiny, white; to... |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰōl- | — |