blow

blow · verb, noun, interjection¹

1. Proto-Indo-European*bʰel-
2. Proto-Indo-European*bʰleh₁-
3. Proto-Germanic*blēaną
4. Proto-West Germanic*blāan
5. Old Englishblāwan
6. Middle Englishblowen
7. English todayblow

From Middle English blowen, from Old English blāwan (“to blow, breathe, inflate, sound”), from Proto-West Germanic *blāan, from Proto-Germanic *blēaną (“to blow”) (compare German blähen), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰleh₁- (“to swell, blow up”) (compare Latin flō (“to blow”) and Old Armenian բեղուն (bełun, “fertile”)).

blow · adjective²

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*bʰlēw-“yellow, blond, grey”
2. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*blēwaz“blue, dark blue, grey, black”
3. Old English · inherited fromblāw“blue”
4. Middle English · inherited fromblo
5. English todayblow

From Middle English blo, bloo, from Old English blāw (“blue”), from Proto-Germanic *blēwaz (“blue, dark blue, grey, black”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰlēw- (“yellow, blond, grey”). Cognate with Latin flavus (“yellow”). Doublet of blue.

blow · noun³

1. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*blewwaną“to beat”
2. Middle English · inherited fromblowe
3. English todayblow

From Middle English blowe, blaw, northern variant of blēwe, from Proto-Germanic *blewwaną (“to beat”) (compare Old Norse blegði (“wedge”), German einbläuen, Middle Dutch blouwen). Related to block.

blow · verb, noun⁴

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*bʰleh₃-
2. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*blōaną
3. Old English · inherited fromblōwan
4. Middle English · inherited fromblowen
5. English todayblow

From Middle English blowen, from Old English blōwan, from Proto-Germanic *blōaną (compare Dutch bloeien, German blühen), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰleh₃- (compare Latin florēre (“to bloom”)).

Words from the same roots