bleat

The story

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*bʰel-“to make a loud noise”
2. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*bʰleh₁-“to howl, cry, bleat”
3. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*blētijaną“to bleat”
4. Proto-West Germanic · inherited from*blātijan
5. Old English · inherited fromblǣtan“to bleat”
6. Middle English · inherited frombleten
7. English todaybleat

From Middle English bleten, from Old English blǣtan (“to bleat”), from Proto-West Germanic *blātijan, from Proto-Germanic *blētijaną (“to bleat”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰleh₁- (“to howl, cry, bleat”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰel- (“to make a loud noise”). Cognate with Scots blete, bleit, West Frisian bâlte, blaaien, blêtsje (“to bleat”), Dutch blaten (“to bleat”), Low German bleten (“to bleat”), German blaßen, blässen (“to bleat”).

Words from the same roots