blood

Overview

Meaning Now

• The red liquid that circulates in the arteries and veins of humans and other vertebrate animals, carrying oxygen to and carbon dioxide from the tissues of the body.
• Kinship, lineage, or descent; ancestry.

Journey

The word is rooted in the concept of 'blooming' or 'swelling', potentially linked to the physical appearance of blood or its association with life-force. In Germanic cultures, blood was central to kinship (blood ties) and ritual.

Evolution

1. Proto-Germanic

   *blōdą

   “blood”

2. Old English

   blōd

   “blood”

   Long vowel /o:/

3. Middle English

   blood

   “blood”

   Vowel shortening occurred before dental consonants

Connections

Explore next

Related to blood

• among→
• believe→
• birth→