English

beanball

Beanball comes from English bean ‘head’.

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

A compound of bean + ball

Proto-Germanic *baunō

Proto-West Germanic *baunu

Old English bēan

Middle English bene

English bean

Proto-Indo-European *bʰel- ‘to blow’

Proto-Germanic *balluz ‘round object’

Old English *beall

Middle English bal ‘a ball’

English ball

noun A pitch deliberately thrown at the head of the batter.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.