bone

Where does the word "bone" come from? It comes from Proto-Germanic bainą, passing through Old English before entering English (1500s).

Bone’s story begins in Proto-Germanic: bainą meant “bone.” German 'Bein' now means leg. By 700s-1000s, the word had taken hold in Old English as bān. 'bānhūs', bone-house, was a poetic word for the body. It reached English by 1500s as bone. 'bonfire' was originally a 'bone fire', for burning bones. Today, bone means one of the hard parts of the skeleton.

1. Stage 1 · Proto-Germanic · ancient bainą "bone", German 'Bein' now means leg.
2. Stage 2 · Old English · 700s-1000s bān "bone", 'bānhūs', bone-house, was a poetic word for the body.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1500s bone "bone", 'bonfire' was originally a 'bone fire', for burning bones.