Where does “bolster” come from?
bolster (Old Swedish) comes from Old Norse bulstr, from Proto-Germanic bulstraz, from Proto-Indo-European bʰelǵʰ-, from Proto-Indo-European bʰel-, from Proto-Indo-European bʰōl-.
Ancestry of “bolster”, step by step
bolster traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Old Norse bulstr
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old Norse | bulstr | — |
| 2 | Proto-Germanic | bulstraz | bolster, pillow, cushion |
| 3 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰelǵʰ- | to swell |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰel- | to sound; to speak, roar, bark; shiny, white; to... |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰōl- | — |
via Old Norse bólstr
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old Norse | bólstr | bolster, pillow |