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bold

Etymology and origin of the English word bold

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Inherited
First attested
c. 725
Inherited from
Old English bald
Ultimate origin
Proto-Germanic (*balþaz)

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈbəʊld/ (UK); /boʊld/ (US)[1]

Etymology

It is Middle English bold, inherited from Old English bald, West Saxon beald,[2][3][4][5] from Proto-Germanic *balþaz,[2][4][3] cognate with Old High German bald (“bold, swift”) (modern German bald (“soon”)), Old Norse ballr (“frightful, dangerous”) and Gothic balþaba, boldly,[2][3][5] perhaps from PIE Proto-Indo-European *bʰel- (“to blow, swell”).[3][2]

Earliest recorded meaning

Stout-hearted, brave, confident: Old English, about 725 in Barnhart, in a translation of Exodus;[2] the OED has before 1000.[6] The modern spelling bold is from about 1250.[2]

Semantic evolution

In a bad sense, audacious or presumptuous, it is from about 1200,[3][6] and of words and deeds, showing courage, from the mid-13th century.[3] Make so bold, to presume, is from about 1385.[6] Standing out to the eye, striking, is from the 1670s,[3] and in printing bold type is short for boldface (about 1871).[5] Of flavours such as coffee, strong, it is from 1829.[3] Old French baut and Italian baldo, bold, are Germanic loanwords.[3] The Germanic word survives in names such as Archibald, Leopold and Theobald.[3]

Timeline

  • c. 725 – brave, confident.[2]
  • c. 1200 – presumptuous.[3]
  • c. 1385 – make so bold.[6]
  • 1670s – striking to the eye.[3]
  • 1829 – of flavours.[3]
  • c. 1871 – bold type.[5]

Modern meaning

Adjective

  1. Fearless and daring; courageous.
  2. Showing or requiring courage: a bold plan.
  3. Too forward; impudent or brazen.
  4. Clear and distinct; conspicuous: bold colours.
  5. Printed in thick heavy type; boldface.
  6. Of a cliff or coastline, steep.

Word family

  • boldly
  • boldness
  • bold-faced
  • boldface
  • extrabold
  • overbold
  • superbold
  • unbold
  • bield
  • bolden
  • embolden

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ a b c d Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ a b c d Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press

Related etymologies

  • mill · also from Old English
  • grass · also from Old English
  • friendship · also from Old English
  • shell · also from Old English
  • sixth · also from Old English
  • thirty · also from Old English
  • bishop · also from Old English
  • pope · also from Old English
Cite this entry

“Bold.” Etymologically, 16 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/bold. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·