*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of bold

From Middle English bold, bolde, bald, beald, from Old English bald, beald (“bold, brave, confident, strong, of good courage, presumptuous, impudent”), from Proto-West Germanic *balþ, from Proto-Germanic *balþaz (“strong

3 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 3 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
adj

Courageous; daring. · Visually striking; conspicuous. · Having thicker strokes than the ordinary form of the typeface. · Presumptuous, forward, or impudent.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle English bold, bolde, bald, beald, from Old English bald, beald (“bold, brave, confident, strong, of good courage, presumptuous, impudent”), from Proto-West Germanic *balþ, from Proto-Germanic *balþaz (“strong, bold”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰel-, *bʰlē- (“to bloat, swell, bubble”). Cognate with Dutch boud (“bold, courageous, fearless”), Middle High German balt (“bold”) (whence German bald (“soon”)), Swedish båld (“bold, dauntless”). Perhaps related to Albanian ballë (“forehead”) and Old Prussian balo (“forehead”). Compare typologically Italian affrontare (“to face, to deal with”), sfrontato (“bold, daring, insolent”), both from Latin frons (“forehead”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Inherited-form mentionboldenm
  • Inherited-form mentionbaldang
  • Inherited-form mention*balþgmw-pro
  • Inherited-form mention*balþazgem-pro · strong, bold
  • Derivation mention*bʰel-ine-pro
  • Cognate mentionboudnl
  • Cognate mentionbaltgmh
  • Cognate mentionbaldde
  • Cognate mentionbåldsv

This page abbreviates 4 auxiliary source items. The etymology narrative is not shortened. Omission counts are available in the audit fields below; consult the original for complete auxiliary material.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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        "3": "bold"
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      "expansion": "Middle English bold"
    },
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        "2": "ang",
        "3": "bald"
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      "expansion": "Old English bald"
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      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *balþaz (“strong, bold”)"
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        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*bʰel-"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Indo-European *bʰel-"
    },
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      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "nl",
        "2": "boud",
        "3": "",
        "4": "bold, courageous, fearless"
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    },
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      "name": "cog",
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        "1": "gmh",
        "2": "balt",
        "3": "",
        "4": "bold"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle High German balt (“bold”)"
    },
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      "name": "cog",
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        "1": "de",
        "2": "bald",
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        "4": "soon"
      },
      "expansion": "German bald (“soon”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "sv",
        "2": "båld",
        "3": "",
        "4": "bold, dauntless"
      },
      "expansion": "Swedish båld (“bold, dauntless”)"
    }
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      "bold#Middle_English"
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      "bolde",
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      "bald",
      "bald#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "beald",
      "beald#Middle_English"
    ],
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      "bald",
      "bald#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "beald",
      "beald#Old_English"
    ],
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      "*balþ",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/balþ"
    ],
    [
      "*balþaz",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/balþaz"
    ],
    [
      "*bʰel-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/bʰel-"
    ],
    [
      "*bʰlē-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/bʰlē-"
    ],
    [
      "boud",
      "boud#Dutch"
    ],
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      "balt",
      "balt#Middle_High_German"
    ],
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      "bald",
      "bald#German"
    ],
    [
      "båld",
      "båld#Swedish"
    ],
    [
      "ballë",
      "ballë#Albanian"
    ],
    [
      "balo",
      "balo#Old_Prussian"
    ],
    [
      "affrontare",
      "affrontare#Italian"
    ],
    [
      "sfrontato",
      "sfrontato#Italian"
    ],
    [
      "frons",
      "frons#Latin"
    ]
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        "Courageous; daring.",
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Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
verb

To make (a font or some text) bold. · To make bold or daring. · To become bold or brave.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle English bolden, balden, from Old English baldian, bealdian, from Proto-Germanic *balþōną, related to *balþaz (see above). Cognate with Old High German irbaldōn (“to become bold, dare”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "bolden"
      },
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    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "baldian"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English baldian"
    },
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      "args": {
        "1": "en",
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        "3": "*balþōną"
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      "balden",
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      "baldian#Old_English"
    ],
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      "bealdian",
      "bealdian#Old_English"
    ],
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      "*balþōną",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/balþōną"
    ],
    [
      "*balþaz",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/balþaz"
    ],
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      "irbaldōn",
      "irbaldon#Old_High_German"
    ]
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        "To make (a font or some text) bold.",
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Source etymology 3

Original entry ↗
noun

A dwelling; habitation; building.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle English bold, from Old English bold, blod, bolt, botl (“house, dwelling-place, mansion, hall, castle, temple”), from Proto-Germanic *budlą, *buþlą (“house, dwelling”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰew- (“to grow, wax, swell”) or *bʰuH-. Cognate with Old Frisian bold (“house”) (whence North Frisian bol, boel, bøl (“house”)), North Frisian bodel, budel (“property, inheritance”), Middle Low German būdel (“property, real estate”). Related to build.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Derivation mentionboldenm
  • Derivation mentionboldang
  • Derivation mention*budlągem-pro
  • Derivation mention*bʰew-ine-pro
  • Cognate mentionboldofs
  • Cognate mentionbolfrr
  • Cognate mentionbodelfrr
  • Cognate mentionbūdelgml
Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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    },
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    },
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      "name": "der",
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        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*budlą"
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      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *budlą"
    },
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    },
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      "name": "cog",
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        "2": "bol"
      },
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    },
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      "name": "cog",
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        "1": "frr",
        "2": "bodel"
      },
      "expansion": "North Frisian bodel"
    },
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      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "gml",
        "2": "būdel",
        "3": "",
        "4": "property, real estate"
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    }
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      "bold",
      "bold#Middle_English"
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    [
      "bold",
      "bold#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "blod",
      "blod#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "bolt",
      "bolt#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "botl",
      "botl#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "*budlą",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/budlą"
    ],
    [
      "*buþlą",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/buþlą"
    ],
    [
      "*bʰew-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/bʰew-"
    ],
    [
      "*bʰuH-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/bʰuH-"
    ],
    [
      "bold",
      "bold#Old_Frisian"
    ],
    [
      "bol",
      "bol#North_Frisian"
    ],
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      "boel",
      "boel#North_Frisian"
    ],
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      "bøl",
      "bøl#North_Frisian"
    ],
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      "bodel",
      "bodel#North_Frisian"
    ],
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      "budel",
      "budel#North_Frisian"
    ],
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      "būdel",
      "budel#Middle_Low_German"
    ],
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      "build",
      "build#English"
    ]
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Where this record stops

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Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-Ym9sZA