The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000.
Appendix I
Indo-European Roots
ENTRY:
bhel-1
DEFINITION:
To shine, flash, burn; shining white and various bright colors. Derivatives include blue, bleach, blind, blond, blanket, black, flagrant, and flame. I. Suffixed full-grade form *bhel-o-.1a.beluga, from Russian bely, white; b.Beltane, from Scottish Gaelic bealltainn, from Old Irish beltaine, fire of Bel (ten, tene, fire; see tep-), from Bel, name of a pagan Irish deity akin to the Gaulish divine name Belenos, from Celtic *bel-o-.2.phalarope, from Greek phalaros, having a white spot. II. Extended root *bhle1-, contracted to *bhl-.1. Suffixed form *bhl-wo-.blue, from Old French bleu, blue, from Germanic *blwaz, blue. 2. Suffixed zero-grade form *bh-wo-.flavescent, flavo-; flavin, flavone, flavoprotein, from Latin flvus, golden or reddish yellow. III. Various extended Germanic forms. 1.bleach, from Old English blcan, to bleach, from Germanic *blaikjan, to make white. 2.bleak1, from Old Norse bleikr, shining, white, from Germanic *blaikaz, shining, white. 3.blitzkrieg, from Old High German blëcchazzen, to flash, lighten, from Germanic *blikkatjan.4a.blaze1, from Old English blæse, torch, bright fire; b.blesbok, from Middle Dutch bles, white spot; c.blemish, from Old French ble(s)mir, to make pale. ac all from Germanic *blas-, shining, white. 5a.blind; blindfold, purblind, from Old English blind, blind; b.blende, from Old High German blentan, to blind, deceive; c.blend, from Old Norse blanda, to mix; d.blond, from Old French blond, blond. ad all from Germanic *blendaz, clouded, and *bland-,*bland-ja-, to mix, mingle (< make cloudy). 6a.blench1, from Old English blencan, to deceive; b.blanch, blank, blanket; blancmange, from Old French blanc, white. Both a and b from Germanic *blenk-,*blank-, to shine, dazzle, blind. 7.blush, from Old English blyscan, to glow red, from Germanic *blisk-, to shine, burn. IV. Extended root *bhleg-, to shine, flash, burn. 1. O-grade form bhlog-.black, from Old English blæc, black, from Germanic *blakaz, burned. 2. Zero-grade form *bhg-.a.fulgent, fulgurate; effulgent, foudroyant, refulgent, from Latin fulgre, to flash, shine, and fulgur, lightning; b.fulminate, from Latin fulmen (< *fulg-men), lightning, thunderbolt. 3a.flagrant; conflagrant, conflagration, deflagrate, from Latin flagrre, to blaze; b.chamise, flambé, flambeau, flamboyant, flame, flamingo, flammable; inflame, from Latin flamma (< *flag-ma), a flame. 4.phlegm, phlegmatic, Phlegethon, from Greek phlegein, to burn. 5. O-grade form *bhlog-.phlogiston, phlox; phlogopite, from Greek phlox, a flame, also a wallflower. (Pokorny 1. bhel- 118, bheleg- 124, bhleu-(k)- 159.)