"B" Word Origins

bliss

Old English

From Old English bliss, an earlier form of blīþs meaning "joy, gladness," from a West Germanic root also connected to the word blithe.

blissful

Middle English

From Middle English blisful, formed from bliss plus -ful.

blissfully

Middle English

From Middle English, formed from blissful plus the adverb suffix -ly.

blister

Old French

From Old French blestre, tracing back to a Germanic word for a swelling.

blithe

Old English

From Old English blīþe meaning "happy, gentle," from a Proto-Germanic root connected to brightness and pleasantness.

blitheless

Origin

From blithe + -less.

blithely

Origin

From Middle English blythely, blyþely, bliþeliche, from Old English blīþelīċe (“gladly, blithely”), from Proto-West Germanic [Term?]; compare Dutch blijdelijk. By surface analysis, blithe + -ly.

blitheness

Origin

From Middle English *blithenesse, from Old English blīþnes, from Proto-West Germanic *blīþinassī, equivalent to blithe + -ness. Cognate with West Frisian blidens (“blitheness, joy”), Old High German blīdnissa (“joy”).

blither

Origin

The verb is a variant of blether (Northern England, Scotland), blather (“to say (something foolish or nonsensical); to say (something) in a foolish or overly verbose way; to babble (something); to talk rapidly without making much sense; to cry loudly, blubber”), from Middle English bloderen, blotheren (“to babble; to cry loudly, blubber”), from Old Norse blaðra (“to talk foolishly or inarticulately”), from blaðr (“nonsense”); further etymology uncertain. The noun is a variant of blether, blather (“foolish or nonsensical talk”), either from blether, blather (verb), or from Old Norse blaðr (“nonsense”): see above.

blithesome

Origin

From blithe + -some.

blithesomeness

Origin

From blithesome + -ness.

blitz

German

Shortened from blitzkrieg, German for "lightning war," first used of World War II bombing raids.

Blitzen

Dutch · 1823

First named in the 1823 poem "A Visit from St. Nicholas," from Dutch bliksem, "lightning."

blitzkrieg

German

Borrowed directly from German Blitzkrieg, literally "lightning war," describing the fast-moving armoured warfare tactics of the Second World War.

blizzard

Origin · 1870

Origin uncertain — the word entered American English describing severe snowstorms in the 1870s, with earlier, unrelated regional uses meaning a blow or blast.

bloat

Old Norse

From Old Norse blautr meaning "soft," related to words for something soft or swollen.

bloater

Origin

From bloat + -er, because they swell during preparation.

blob

Origin

Possibly imitative in origin, related to similar soft-sounding words like bleb and blubber.

bloc

French

Borrowed from French bloc ("group, block"), ultimately from a Germanic word for a log or beam — a doublet of the English word block.

Bloch

German

Borrowed from German Bloch.

block

Old French

From Old French bloc, ultimately from a Germanic word for a tree trunk or log.

blockade

German

Formed from block plus the suffix -ade, likely modeled on the Dutch or German word for the same idea.

blockage

Origin

Formed from block plus the noun suffix -age.

blockbust

Origin

Back-formation from blockbuster.

blockbuster

Origin

Originally a term for a huge aerial bomb capable of destroying an entire city block, later applied figuratively to hugely successful films and events.

blockchain

English

A compound of block and chain, from the way records are grouped into blocks that are each linked to the one before, forming a chain.

blocker

Origin

Formed from block plus the agent suffix -er.

blockhead

Origin · 1500

Formed in the sixteenth century from block plus head, comparing a dull person's head to a solid, unthinking lump of wood.

blockheaded

Origin

From block + headed.

blockheadedness

Origin

From blockheaded + -ness.

blocklist

Origin

Compound of block + list.

blog

Origin · 1999

A shortening of weblog, itself a compound of web and log; the clipped form "blog" was coined in 1999 and quickly overtook the original term.

blogger

Origin

From "blog" (itself a shortening of "weblog") plus the agent suffix "-er" — the same pattern as "writer" or "singer."

bloke

Scottish Gaelic

Origin uncertain — possibly borrowed from an Irish or Scottish Gaelic word for a block or stubborn person, or from a Hindustani/Romani word meaning "person."

blond

Old French

From Old French blont/blond, likely from a Frankish word meaning a mixed golden-brown colour, ultimately related to "blend."

blonde

French

From French blonde, the feminine form of blond, meaning fair-haired.

blondie

Origin

From blond + -ie.

blood

Old English

From Old English blod, going back to a Proto-Germanic root possibly meaning "that which bursts out" — related to the idea of swelling or gushing.

bloodbath

Origin

From "blood" plus "bath," originally suggesting a scene drenched in blood.

blooded

Middle English

From Middle English bloded, equivalent to blood + -ed.

bloodhound

Middle English

From Middle English blodhound, a compound of "blood" and "hound" — likely referring to the dog's skill at tracking blood trails from wounded game.

bloodied

Origin

From bloody + -ed.

bloodless

Middle English

From Middle English blodles, from Old English blōdlēas (“bloodless”). Cognate with Dutch bloedeloos (“bloodless”), German blutlos (“bloodless”), Danish blodløs (“bloodless”), Swedish blodlös (“bloodless”), Icelandic blóðlaus (“bloodless”). By surface analysis, blood + -less.

bloodlet

Origin

From Middle English blodleten, from Old English blōdlǣtan (“to let blood, bleed”), equivalent to blood + let. Cognate with German Blutlassen (“bloodletting”), Icelandic blóðlátinn (“bled”, past participle).

bloodletting

Origin

From "blood" plus "letting" (from the verb "let," meaning to release) — literally, releasing blood.

bloodline

Origin

From "blood" plus "line," referring to a line of hereditary descent.

bloodlust

Origin

From "blood" plus "lust," describing a craving for bloodshed.

bloodnut

Origin

From blood (“red”) + nut (“head”).