English
bliss
Bliss comes from Old English bliss ‘joy, bliss’, from Proto-West Germanic *blīþī ‘happy’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰleh₁- ‘to shine’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰleh₁-‘to shine’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰlī-‘light, fine, pleasant’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*blīþiz‘pleasant, pleasing, delightful, friendly’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*blīþī‘happy’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanic, derivedc. 200–500 CE*blīþisi‘joy, goodness, kindness’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150blīþs‘joy, gladness’
- Old English, derivedc. 450–1150bliss‘joy, bliss’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500bliss
- Englishearliest quotation a. 1851bliss
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰleh₁-‘to shine’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰlī-‘light, fine, pleasant’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*blīþiz‘pleasant, pleasing, delightful, friendly’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*blīþī‘happy’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanic, derivedc. 200–500 CE*blīþisi‘joy, goodness, kindness’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150blīþs‘joy, gladness’
- Old English, derivedc. 450–1150bliss‘joy, bliss’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500bliss
- Englishearliest quotation a. 1851bliss
Earliest quotation: a. 1851, William Wordsworth, The French Revolution as It Appeared to Enthusiasts at Its C: “Bliss was it in that dawn to be alive,…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *bʰleh₁- ‘to shine’
blow, inflation, flavor, blast, flux, fluent, bladder, confluence, fluency, inflate, feeble, flatulence, fluvial, conflate, soufflé, blare, blather, blasé, bleat, 45 more
through Proto-West Germanic *blīþī ‘happy’
Today it means
noun Perfect happiness.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *bʰleh₁- / bliss