English word origin

Etymology of beal

From Middle English beel, bele, from Old English bȳle (“boil, carbuncle, bile”), from Proto-West Germanic *būlijā, from Proto-Germanic *būlijǭ (“swelling”), from *būlǭ (“swelling, bump, boil”). More at boil.

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 ↗

noun

A small inflammatory tumor; pustule.

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

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

Inherited-form mentionbeelenm
Inherited-form mentionbȳleang
Inherited-form mention*būlijāgmw-pro
Inherited-form mention*būlijǭgem-pro

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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        "4": "",
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    }
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      "beel#Middle_English"
    ],
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      "bele#Middle_English"
    ],
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      "byle#Old_English"
    ],
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      "*būlijā",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/būlijā"
    ],
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      "*būlijǭ",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/būlijǭ"
    ],
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      "*būlǭ",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/būlǭ"
    ],
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      "boil",
      "boil#English"
    ]
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Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

verb

To gather matter; swell; come to a head, as a pimple; fester; suppurate.

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

From Middle English belen, from bele (see above).

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

Inherited-form mentionbelenenm

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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Source etymology 3

Original entry ↗

verb

To bellow, roar, or shout.

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

From Middle English belien, from Old Norse belja (“to bellow, roar”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

Inherited-form mentionbelienenm
Derivation mentionbeljanon · to bellow, roar

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for beal →

Source and snapshot

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-YmVhbA