Where does “bicho-bolo” come from?

bicho-bolo (Portuguese) comes from Portuguese bolo, from Portuguese bola, from Old Occitan bola, from Latin bulla, from Proto-Indo-European bʰel-, from Proto-Indo-European bʰōl-.

bicho-bolo (Portuguese): common name for the larvae of some coleopteran insects, harmful to agriculture; grub

Definitions

  1. common name for the larvae of some coleopteran insects, harmful to agriculture; grub

Ancestry of “bicho-bolo”, step by step

bicho-bolo traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Portuguese bolo

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Portuguesebolocake; bunch, heap, mass; prize, reward
2Portuguesebolaball, sphere, round object; ball; fat person
3Old Occitanbola
4Latinbullaa bubble; a swollen or bubble-shaped object,...
5Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰel-to sound; to speak, roar, bark; shiny, white; to...
6Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰōl-

via Portuguese Bicho

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1PortugueseBichobeast non-human animal
2Vulgar Latinbistius
3Latinbēstiaa beast
Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰōl-Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰel-Every word from Latin bulla