English
blade
Blade comes from Middle English blad ‘a leaf’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *bʰleh₃- ‘to thrive, bloom’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰleh₃-‘to thrive, bloom’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*bladą‘leaf (of a plant)’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*blad‘leaf’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150blæd‘leaf’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500blad‘a leaf’
- Middle English, derivedc. 1150–1500blade
- Englishearliest quotation 1633same form
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰleh₃-‘to thrive, bloom’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*bladą‘leaf (of a plant)’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*blad‘leaf’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150blæd‘leaf’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500blad‘a leaf’
- Middle English, derivedc. 1150–1500blade
- Englishearliest quotation 1633same form
Earliest quotation: 1633, Phineas Fletcher, Elisa: “As sweet a plant, as fair a flower, is…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *bʰleh₃- ‘to thrive, bloom’
full, blood, flower, fool, blow, bless, floral, foil, flora, bloom, flourish, bleed, blossom, folly, folio, ferret, florist, fleur, flor, folic, exfoliate, belladonna, 55 more
Today it means
noun The (typically sharp-edged) part of a knife, sword, razor, or other tool with which it cuts.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *bʰleh₃- / blade