English
bold
Bold comes from Old English bald ‘bold, brave, confident, strong, of good…’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *bʰel- ‘to sound’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰel-‘to sound’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*balþaz‘strong, bold’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*balþ‘bold, brave’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150bald‘bold, brave, confident, strong, of good courage, presumptuous, impudent’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500bold
- Englishearliest quotation 1748same form
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰel-‘to sound’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*balþaz‘strong, bold’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*balþ‘bold, brave’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150bald‘bold, brave, confident, strong, of good courage, presumptuous, impudent’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500bold
- Englishearliest quotation 1748same form
Earliest quotation: 1748, David Hume, Essay I. On the different Species of Philosophy.: “[…] even the boldeſt and moſt affirmative Philoſophy, which…”
The story
Perhaps related to Albanian ballë (‘forehead’) and Old Prussian balo (‘forehead’).
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *bʰel- ‘to sound’
ball, bell, bull, bowl, flame, blaze, bale, blush, blur, blizzard, bleach, bald, boil, budge, sabha, blemish, bolster, phlegm, phallus, blithe, phlox, blain, bleat, bolero, bola, 74 more
Another origin of bold
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*balþōnąreconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150baldian
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500bolden
- Englishtodaybold
Today it means
adj Courageous, daring.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *bʰel- / bold