An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Annotated/Blut

by Friedrich Kluge

Blut, neuter, ‘blood, race,’ from the equivalent Middle High German bluot, Old High German bluot, neuter; it corresponds regularly to Dutch bloed, Anglo-Saxon blôd, English blood. An Old Teutonic word meaning ‘blood,’ which is common to all the dialects; compare Gothic blôþa- (for *blôda-). Pre-Teutonic bhlâto- does not appear in any cognate language with the same meaning. The Aryan languages have no common word for blood. With respect to the Teutonic word, it is still undecided whether it belongs to a root blô, ‘to bloom.’ Compare also English to bleed (for *blodjan). For Blutegel see Igel. Blut- in compounds like blutjung, blutarm, has nothing to do with Blut, but is dialectic with the meaning ‘bare, naked’; Upper German and Low German blutt.