The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000.
Appendix I
Indo-European Roots
ENTRY:
bhel-3
DEFINITION:
To thrive, bloom. Possibly from bhel-2. Derivatives include foliage, blossom, flora, bleed, bless, and blade. I. Suffixed o-grade form *bhol-yo-, leaf. 1.foil2, foliage, folio, folium; cinquefoil, defoliate, exfoliate, feuilleton, milfoil, perfoliate, portfolio, trefoil, from Latin folium, leaf. 2.–phyll, phyllo-, –phyllous; chervil, gillyflower, podophyllin, from Greek phullon, leaf. II. Extended form *bhl- (< *bhle-). 1. O-grade form *bhl-.a. Suffixed form *bhl-w-.blow3, from Old English blwan, to flower, from Germanic *bl-w-;b. (i)bloom1, from Old Norse blm,blmi, flower, blossom; (ii)bloom2, from Old English blma, a hammered ingot of iron (semantic development obscure). Both (i) and (ii) from Germanic suffixed form *bl-mn-;c.blossom, from Old English blstm,blstma, flower, blossom, from Germanic suffixed form *bl-s-;d.ferret2, flora, Flora, floral, floret, floriated, florid, florin, florist, –florous, flour, flourish, flower; cauliflower, deflower, effloresce, enfleurage, florigen, millefleur, from Latin fls (stem flr-), flower, from Italic suffixed form *fl-s-;e. suffixed form *bhl-to-, possibly in the meaning “swell, gush, spurt” in Germanic *bldam, blood. (i)blood, from Old English bld, blood; (ii)bleed, from Old English *bldan, to bleed, from Germanic denominative *bldjan;(iii)bless, from Old English bloedsian,bltsian, to consecrate, from Germanic *bldisn, to treat or hallow with blood. 2.emblements, from Medieval Latin bldum,bladium, produce of the land, grain, from Germanic suffixed form *bl-da-.3. Suffixed zero-grade form *bhl-to-.blade, from Old English blæd, leaf, blade, from Germanic *bladaz. (Pokorny 4. bhel- 122.)
- (< *bhle
-). 1. O-grade form *bhl
-. a. Suffixed form *bhl
dum, bladium, produce of the land, grain, from Germanic suffixed form *bl
