The story
- Proto-Indo-European*bʰel-
- Proto-Indo-European*bʰóltos
- Proto-Germanic*balþaz
- Frankish*balþ
- Old Frenchbaud
- Middle Englishbawde
- English todaybawd
From Middle English bawde, baude, from Old French baud (“bold, lively, jolly, gay”). Doublet of bold. An association with Welsh bawddyn (“dirty fellow, scoundrel”), from baw (“dirt”), was suggested by the Rev. Henry Todd.
Words from the same roots
Old Frenchbaud all →
bawcock
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.