Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/bʰel-

This Proto-Indo-European entry contains reconstructed terms and roots. As such, the term(s) in this entry are not directly attested, but are hypothesized to have existed based on comparative evidence.

Proto-Indo-European

Root

*bʰel-

2. to sound; to speak, roar, bark

Derived terms

• *bʰleh₁-
• *bʰel(h₁)-nos (n-participle)
  • Proto-Germanic: *bellǭ (“bell”) (*-eh₂ reflex) (see there for further descendants)
    • ⇒ Proto-Germanic: *bellaną (“to roar”) (see there for further descendants)
• *bʰol-so-s (s-stem)
  • Proto-Balto-Slavic: *balsas
    • Latgalian: bolss (“voice”)
    • Latvian: balss (“voice”)
    • Lithuanian: balsas (“voice”)
• *bʰl̥- (zero-grade)
  • Proto-Balto-Slavic: *biltei
    • Lithuanian: bilti (“to speak”)
    • ⇒ Lithuanian: byla (“speech; case, file”)
    • Old Prussian: billīt, billītwei (“to say, speak”)
    • Proto-Slavic: *bьltati (“to babble”) (extended with -t-)

• *bʰl̥d- (zero-grade, extended with -d-)
  • Proto-Balto-Slavic: *bilstei
    • Lithuanian: bilsti (“to knock, rumble”)
    • Latvian: bilst (“to utter”) (bildu)
    • Latvian: bildēt (“to speak”)
    • Lithuanian: bildėti (“to knock, make noise”)
  • Proto-Germanic:
    • >? Middle Low German: bulderen

• Unsorted formations
  • (perhaps) Proto-Tocharian: *päl- (“to praise, commend”)
    • Tocharian A: päl-
    • Tocharian B: päl-

Root

*bʰel-

2. shiny, white

Derived terms

• *bʰólH-teh₂
  • Proto-Albanian: *baltā
    • Albanian: baltë
• *bʰel-g-
  • *bʰl̥-g-eh₁-ye-ti
    • Proto-Italic: *folgēō
      • Latin: fulgeō (see there for further descendants)
  • *bʰél-g-os- ~ *bʰél-g-es-
    • Proto-Indo-Iranian: *bʰárgas
      • Proto-Indo-Aryan: *bʰárgas
        • Sanskrit: भर्गस् (bhárgas)
  • *bʰl̥-g-ro-
    • Proto-Italic: *flagros
      • ⇒ Latin: flagrō (“to burn, blaze”)
  • *bʰl̥-g-mh₂
    • Proto-Italic: *flagmā
      • Latin: flamma (“flame”)
• *bʰle-g-
  • *bʰlé-g-e-ti
    • Proto-Hellenic: *pʰlegō
      • Ancient Greek: φλέγω (phlégō)
  • *bʰlé-g-mn̥
    • Proto-Hellenic: *pʰlegmə
      • Ancient Greek: φλέγμα (phlégma)
• *bʰleyǵ-
• *bʰel-h₁-
  • *bʰl̥h₁wós
    • Albanian:
      • Proto-Albanian: *blāukā
        • Albanian: blokër (“rubbish, trash”)
  • *bʰolH-o-
    • Proto-Balto-Slavic:
      • Latgalian: bõls (“pale, dull”)
      • Latvian: bāls (“pale”)
      • Lithuanian: bãlas (“white”)
  • *bʰl̥H-o-
    • Proto-Hellenic: *pʰalós
      • Ancient Greek: φᾰλός (phalós)
  • *bʰḗlH-o- / *bʰl̥-ós
    • Proto-Balto-Slavic:
      • Proto-Slavic: *bělъ (“white”) (see there for further descendants)
    • Proto-Germanic: *bēlą (“(bon)fire, pyre”)
• Unsorted formations
  • Albanian: bal, balo
  • Latgalian: blõvs (“dim”)
  • Latvian: blāvs (“dim”)
  • Lithuanian: blãvas
  • Indo-Iranian:
    • Indo-Aryan:
      • Sanskrit: भाल (bhāla, “splendour”)
  • Old Armenian: բալ (bal, “fog”)
    • Armenian: բալ (bal)

Root

*bʰel-

2. to blow, to swell up

Derived terms

• *bʰel-ǵʰ-
• *bʰl-eh₁-
• *bʰl-ew-
  • Proto-Hellenic: *pʰléwō
    • Ancient Greek: φλέω (phléō)
  • ⇒ *bʰl-ew-H-
• *bʰl-eh₂-yé-ti
  • Proto-Italic: *flāō
    • >? Latin: flō
• *bʰél-mn̥
  • >? Proto-Armenian: (or from the n-stem below)
    • Old Armenian: բեղմն (bełmn, “semen”)
      • Armenian: բեղմ (beġm)
    • Old Armenian: բեղուն (bełun, “fruit, product; semen”), բեղն (bełn)
      • → Armenian: բեղուն (beġun) (learned)
• *bʰél-ō ~ *bʰl̥-n-ós/és (“round object”, n-stem noun) (Pokorny considered a heteroclitic *bʰélr̥ ~ *bʰl̥nés)
  • Proto-Germanic: *bullô m, *bullǭ f (“ball, bowl”) (see there for further descendants)
  • Proto-Germanic: *bellǭ (“~ knoll”)
    • Old Norse:
      • Icelandic: bjalla (“hill”)
      • ⇒ Swedish: fot-bjälle, fota-bjälle (“ankle, heel”)
  • Proto-Hellenic: *pʰə́llōn (with schwa and geminate *ll taken from the oblique stem)
    • Ancient Greek: *φάλλων (*phállōn)
      • ⇒? Ancient Greek: φάλλαινα (phállaina, “whale”) (see there for further descendants)
  • ⇒ *bʰól-ō (o-grade)
    • Proto-Germanic: *ballô, *balluz (see there for further descendants)
      • Proto-West Germanic: *ballō
        • Old High German: ballo, bal
          • Middle High German: balle
            • German: Ball, Ballen
  • ⇒ *bʰl-ḗn ~ *bʰl̥-n-ós/és (“round body part, penis, testicle?”)
    • Proto-Germanic: *bulô, *bullô (“bull”) (see there for further descendants)
    • ⇒ *bʰl̥n-ós
      • Proto-Celtic: *ballos (see there for further descendants)
      • Proto-Hellenic: *pʰəllós
        • Ancient Greek: φαλλός (phallós) (see there for further descendants)
  • ⇒ *bʰ(o)ln-is
    • Proto-Italic: *folnis
      • Latin: follis (“bag; bellows; ball”) (and/or from *bʰelǵʰ-?) (see there for further descendants)
• *bʰol-tos (t-participle)
  • >? Proto-Germanic: *balþaz (“bold”) (see there for further descendants)

• Unsorted formations:
  • →? Ancient Greek: βαλλίον (ballíon) (from a dialect that preserved the voicing of *bʰ)
  • Ancient Greek: φάλης (phálēs)
  • German: Bille (“penis”) (dialectal)

Root

*bʰel-

2. henbane

Reconstruction notes

Pokorny lists *bhel- "henbane" separately but allows the possibility that it is the same as *bhel- "shiny, white." Neither Derksen, nor Kroonen gloss their PIE reconstructions for henbane.

Derived terms

• *bʰel-(e)no- (n-participle)
  • Balto-Slavic:
    • Proto-Slavic: *bel(e)nъ (“day-dream, henbane”)
• Unsorted formations
  • Old High German: bilsa
    • Middle High German: bilse
      • German: Bilsenkraut
  • Proto-Italic: *feliks
    • Latin: filix (“fern”)

References