English
bell
Bell comes from Middle English belle, from Old English belle, from Proto-Germanic *bellǭ ‘bell’, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰel- ‘to sound’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰel-‘to sound’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*bellǭ‘bell’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*bellāreconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150belle‘bell’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500same form
- Englishearliest quotation 1610–1611bell
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰel-‘to sound’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*bellǭ‘bell’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*bellāreconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150belle‘bell’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500same form
- Englishearliest quotation 1610–1611bell
Earliest quotation: 1610–1611, William Shakespeare, The Tempest: “In a cowslip's bell I lie.”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *bʰel- ‘to sound’
ball, bowl, bold, flame, bull, bald, boil, blaze, bale, blush, blur, blizzard, bleach, bolster, budge, sabha, blemish, bola, phlegm, bolero, blithe, phlox, blain, phallus, bleat, 74 more
Another origin of bell
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰel-‘to sound’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*bellaną‘to sound’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*bellanreconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150bellan‘to bellow’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500bellen
- Englishtodaybell
Today it means
noun A percussive instrument made of metal or other hard material, typically but not always in the shape of an inverted cup with a flared rim, which resonates when struck.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *bʰel- / bell