English
beadle
Beadle comes from Old English bydel ‘warrant officer, apparitor’, from Proto-Germanic *budilaz ‘herald’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰewdʰ- ‘to be awake, aware’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰewdʰ-‘to be awake, aware’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰéwdʰeti‘to be awake, aware’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*beudaną‘to command’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanic, derivedc. 500 BCE–200 CE*budą‘offer’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanic, derivedc. 500 BCE–200 CE*budilaz‘herald’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*budilreconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150bydel‘warrant officer, apparitor’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500bedel
- Englishearliest quotation 1789beadle
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰewdʰ-‘to be awake, aware’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰéwdʰeti‘to be awake, aware’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*beudaną‘to command’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanic, derivedc. 500 BCE–200 CE*budą‘offer’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanic, derivedc. 500 BCE–200 CE*budilaz‘herald’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*budilreconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150bydel‘warrant officer, apparitor’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500bedel
- Englishearliest quotation 1789beadle
Earliest quotation: 1789, William Blake, Holy Thursday: “Twas on a holy Thursday, their innocent faces clean,…”
Formed from bid + -le
Proto-Germanic *bidjaną ‘to ask’
Proto-West Germanic *biddjan ‘to ask’
Old English biddan ‘to ask’
Middle English bidden ‘to ask, beseech’
English bid
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *bʰewdʰ- ‘to be awake, aware’
through Proto-Germanic *beudaną ‘to command’
Today it means
noun A parish constable, a uniformed minor (lay) official, who ushers and keeps order.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *bʰewdʰ- / beadle