blokk (Proto-West Germanic)

Where does "blokk" come from?

The Proto-West Germanic noun 'blokk' meaning 'block, log'[1] descends from Proto-Germanic '*blukką'[1]. This Germanic form likely developed from earlier '*blukną', which is presumed to be a metathesized version of '*bulkną'[2]. Moving further back into pre-Germanic, the lineage traces to '*bʰl̥ǵʰ-no-', which originates from the Proto-Indo-European root '*bʰelǵʰ-' meaning 'to balk, beam; to swell'[2].

Open questions

• The intermediate form '*blukną' is presumed to be metathesized from '*bulkną'. [2]

Full etymology tree

• *blokk (Proto-West Germanic), 'block, log'
  • inherited *blukką (Proto-Germanic), 'block, log'
    • derived *bulkną (Proto-Germanic)
      • derived *bʰl̥ǵʰ-no- (pre-Germanic)
        • derived *bʰelǵʰ- (Proto-Indo-European), 'to swell'

Ancestors

• *blukką (Proto-Germanic)

Sources

1. blokk (Proto-West Germanic) - Wiktionary
2. blukką (Proto-Germanic) - Wiktionary

Updated August 2026

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Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris