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bold

/ˈbəʊld/ (Received-Pronunciation)[ˈbɒʊɫd] (Received-Pronunciation)/ˈbɒld/
  • adjective
  • verb
  • noun
  • from Old English

Courageous; daring.

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1 All current definitions

Every sense of “bold” in current use, as recorded by Wiktionary. Older and obsolete senses are kept separately.

adjective · etymology 1

  1. Courageous; daring.

    Bold deeds win admiration and, sometimes, medals.

  2. Visually striking; conspicuous.

    the painter's bold use of colour and outline

  3. Having thicker strokes than the ordinary form of the typeface.

    Many bold fonts are available on this computer.

  4. Presumptuous, forward, or impudent.
  5. IrelandNaughty; insolent; badly-behaved.

    All of her children are terribly bold and never do as they are told.

  6. Full-bodied.
  7. PhilippinesPornographic; depicting nudity.

    The government warned bus operators against continuing to show bold content on buses.

  8. Steep or abrupt.

    The grounds descend with a bold slope to the water's edge, and rise finely upwards above the mansion, abounding with fine trees, and ornamented by a range of building at a distance, in a corresponding style […]1808, William Bernard Cooke, A New Picture of the Isle of Wight, page 144:

Wiktionary: “bold” (via kaikki.org) — CC BY-SA 4.0

verb · etymology 2

  1. informaltransitiveTo make (a font or some text) bold.

    Please bold all these subheads.

Older & obsolete senses (2)
  1. obsoletetransitiveTo make bold or daring.
  2. intransitiveobsoleteTo become bold or brave.
Wiktionary: “bold” (via kaikki.org) — CC BY-SA 4.0

noun · etymology 3

No current senses for this part of speech — see older senses.

Older & obsolete senses (1)
  1. obsoleteA dwelling; habitation; building.
Wiktionary: “bold” (via kaikki.org) — CC BY-SA 4.0
Cross-check: WordNet senses (4)
  1. nouna typeface with thick heavy lines — also: boldface, bold face
  2. adjectivefearless and daring
  3. adjectiveclear and distinct
  4. adjectivevery steep; having a prominent and almost vertical front — also: bluff, sheer
Princeton WordNet 3.0 — WordNet License

Synonyms: audacious, brave, courageous, daring, forward, doughty, embolden

Wiktionary: “bold” (via kaikki.org) — CC BY-SA 4.0

2 History of the word

The etymology, the path the word travelled, and the words built from it.

Etymology 1 (adjective)

The word’s journey, newest to oldest:

  1. English (today)bold
  2. Middle Englishbold
  3. Old Englishbald
  4. Proto-West Germanic*balþ
  5. Proto-Germanic*balþaz “strong, bold”
  6. Proto-Indo-European*bʰel-

From Middle English bold, bolde, bald, beald, from Old English bald, beald (“bold, brave, confident, strong, of good courage, presumptuous, impudent”), from Proto-West Germanic *balþ, from Proto-Germanic *balþaz (“strong, bold”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰel-, *bʰlē- (“to bloat, swell, bubble”).

Cognate with Dutch boud (“bold, courageous, fearless”), Middle High German balt (“bold”) (whence German bald (“soon”)), Swedish båld (“bold, dauntless”). Perhaps related to Albanian ballë (“forehead”) and Old Prussian balo (“forehead”). Compare typologically Italian affrontare (“to face, to deal with”), sfrontato (“bold, daring, insolent”), both from Latin frons (“forehead”).

Wiktionary: “bold” (via kaikki.org) — CC BY-SA 4.0

Etymology 2 (verb)

The word’s journey, newest to oldest:

  1. English (today)bold
  2. Middle Englishbolden
  3. Old Englishbaldian
  4. Proto-Germanic*balþōną

From Middle English bolden, balden, from Old English baldian, bealdian, from Proto-Germanic *balþōną, related to *balþaz (see above). Cognate with Old High German irbaldōn (“to become bold, dare”).

Wiktionary: “bold” (via kaikki.org) — CC BY-SA 4.0

Etymology 3 (noun)

The word’s journey, newest to oldest:

  1. English (today)bold
  2. Middle Englishbold
  3. Old Englishbold
  4. Proto-Germanic*budlą
  5. Proto-Indo-European*bʰew- “to grow, wax, swell”

From Middle English bold, from Old English bold, blod, bolt, botl (“house, dwelling-place, mansion, hall, castle, temple”), from Proto-Germanic *budlą, *buþlą (“house, dwelling”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰew- (“to grow, wax, swell”) or *bʰuH-.

Cognate with Old Frisian bold (“house”) (whence North Frisian bol, boel, bøl (“house”)), North Frisian bodel, budel (“property, inheritance”), Middle Low German būdel (“property, real estate”). Related to build.

Wiktionary: “bold” (via kaikki.org) — CC BY-SA 4.0

Derivatives — words built from “bold”

boldaciousboldfacebold-facedboldfacedboldheadbold-heartedboldishboldlyboldshipdemiboldextraboldnonboldoverboldsemiboldsuperboldultraboldunboldnonboldedunbolded

Phrases & compounds

blackboard boldbold as brassbold filmbold move, Cottonbold moviebold starfortune favors the boldfortune favours the boldif I may be so boldmake bold

Related terms

bieldboldenboldnessemboldenbottlebuild
Wiktionary: “bold” (via kaikki.org) — CC BY-SA 4.0

Want to go deeper? See also “bold” on Etymonline ↗

3 Original language

Where “bold” came from before it was English.

Etymology 1 (adjective)

Native English word, from
Old English
Old English bald
Deepest root (reconstructed)
Proto-Indo-European
Proto-Indo-European *bʰel-

Etymology 2 (verb)

Native English word, from
Old English
Old English baldian
Deepest root (reconstructed)
Proto-Germanic
Proto-Germanic *balþōną

Etymology 3 (noun)

Native English word, from
Old English
Old English bold
Deepest root (reconstructed)
Proto-Indo-European
Proto-Indo-European *bʰew- “to grow, wax, swell”
Wiktionary: “bold” (via kaikki.org) — CC BY-SA 4.0

4 Original meaning

What the word meant at the oldest point the record reaches.

Reconstructed Proto-Germanic root
“strong, bold”
Proto-Germanic *balþaz — rebuilt by linguists from its descendants; never written down.
Wiktionary: “bold” (via kaikki.org) — CC BY-SA 4.0

Historical meaning — Webster’s 1913

A historical record, labelled as such: some of these senses are dated or have since shifted.

bold a. [OE. bald, bold, AS. bald, beald; akin to Icel. ballr, OHG. bald, MHG. balt, D. boud, Goth. bal boldness, It. baldo. In Ger. there remains only bald, adv. soon. Cf. Bawd, n.]

  1. Forward to meet danger; venturesome; daring; not timorous or shrinking from risk; brave; courageous.
  2. Exhibiting or requiring spirit and contempt of danger; planned with courage; daring; vigorous.
  3. In a bad sense, too forward; taking undue liberties; over assuming or confident; lacking proper modesty or restraint; rude; impudent.
  4. Somewhat overstepping usual bounds, or conventional rules, as in art, literature, etc.; taking liberties in composition or expression; as, the figures of an author are bold.

bold v. t.

  1. To make bold or daring.

bold v. i.

  1. To be or become bold.
Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), public domain, via GCIDE

5 Use it with confidence

Model sentences from the sources, matched to the meaning they show. Read each one aloud, then make your own in the game.

adjectiveMeaning: Courageous; daring.

Bold deeds win admiration and, sometimes, medals.

Not unnaturally, “Auntie” took this communication in bad part. Thus outraged, she showed herself to be a bold as well as a furious virago. Next day she found her way to their lodgings and tried to recover her ward by the hair of the head.1918, W[illiam] B[abington] Maxwell, chapter XXII, in The Mirror and the Lamp, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC:

adjectiveMeaning: Visually striking; conspicuous.

the painter's bold use of colour and outline

adjectiveMeaning: Having thicker strokes than the ordinary form of the typeface.

Many bold fonts are available on this computer.

In HTML, wrapping text in <b> and </b> tags produces bold text.

adjectiveMeaning: Naughty; insolent; badly-behaved.

All of her children are terribly bold and never do as they are told.

adjectiveMeaning: Pornographic; depicting nudity.

The government warned bus operators against continuing to show bold content on buses.

adjectiveMeaning: Steep or abrupt.

The grounds descend with a bold slope to the water's edge, and rise finely upwards above the mansion, abounding with fine trees, and ornamented by a range of building at a distance, in a corresponding style […]1808, William Bernard Cooke, A New Picture of the Isle of Wight, page 144:

adjectiveMeaning: fearless and daring

bold settlers on some foreign shore

a bold speech

adjectiveMeaning: clear and distinct

bold handwriting

a figure carved in bold relief

adjectiveMeaning: very steep; having a prominent and almost vertical front

where the bold chalk cliffs of England rise

Princeton WordNet 3.0 — WordNet License
Wiktionary: “bold” (via kaikki.org) — CC BY-SA 4.0

Three steps to owning it

  1. Pick one meaning above and read its model sentence out loud.
  2. Say who or what the word is about in your own life, then build a sentence around that.
  3. Check it against the definition: would a careful reader understand exactly that meaning?

6 The mastery game

Play it here, or print it and do it with pen and paper. At the end you will know the meanings, history, origin and original meaning — and you will have used the word yourself.

Step 1 of 10

Say it, then spell it

bold

/ˈbəʊld/

Say the word out loud three times, slowly. Notice the stressed syllable. When you are ready, hide it and spell it from memory.

Activate Words · Word-mastery worksheet · Name: ______________________ Date: __________

bold

/ˈbəʊld/ · adjective, verb, noun

Step 1 — Say it and write it

Say “bold” out loud three times. Then cover the word and write it three times from memory.

Step 2 — Know every meaning

Read each definition. Then write it again in your own words.

1. (adjective) Courageous; daring.
2. (adjective) Visually striking; conspicuous.
3. (adjective) Having thicker strokes than the ordinary form of the typeface.
4. (adjective) Presumptuous, forward, or impudent.
5. (adjective) Naughty; insolent; badly-behaved.

Step 3 — Which meaning is it?

“Bold deeds win admiration and, sometimes, medals.”

A. Pornographic; depicting nudity.
B. Courageous; daring.
C. Having thicker strokes than the ordinary form of the typeface.

Circle the meaning used.

“the painter's bold use of colour and outline”

A. Visually striking; conspicuous.
B. Courageous; daring.
C. Naughty; insolent; badly-behaved.

Circle the meaning used.

“Many bold fonts are available on this computer.”

A. Pornographic; depicting nudity.
B. Naughty; insolent; badly-behaved.
C. Having thicker strokes than the ordinary form of the typeface.

Circle the meaning used.

Step 4 — History and origin

Which language did “bold” come into English from?   A. Anglo-Norman  B. Late Latin  C. Middle French  D. Old English

Write the word’s journey back in time (each language and form):

Write three words built from “bold” and what each means:

Step 5 — Original meaning

The earliest traceable form is Proto-Germanic *balþaz. What did it mean?

How does that original meaning connect to the meanings today?

Step 6 — Use it yourself

Write a sentence using “bold” to mean: Courageous; daring.
Write a sentence using “bold” to mean: Visually striking; conspicuous.
Write a sentence using “bold” to mean: Having thicker strokes than the ordinary form of the typeface.

☐ I can explain its meanings   ☐ I know its history   ☐ I know its original language   ☐ I know its original meaning   ☐ I can use it confidently

Answer key — bold

Which meaning, sentence 1: B. Courageous; daring.

Which meaning, sentence 2: A. Visually striking; conspicuous.

Which meaning, sentence 3: C. Having thicker strokes than the ordinary form of the typeface.

Origin: D. Old English (Old English bald)

Journey: English bold ← Middle English bold ← Old English bald ← Proto-West Germanic *balþ ← Proto-Germanic *balþaz ← Proto-Indo-European *bʰel-

Some derivatives: boldacious, boldface, bold-faced, boldfaced, boldhead, bold-hearted, boldish, boldly

Original meaning: Proto-Germanic *balþaz — “strong, bold”

Etymology: From Middle English bold, bolde, bald, beald, from Old English bald, beald (“bold, brave, confident, strong, of good courage, presumptuous, impudent”), from Proto-West Germanic *balþ, from Proto-Germanic *balþaz (“strong, bold”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰel-, *bʰlē- (“to bloat, swell, bubble”).

Sources: Wiktionary “bold” (https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/bold#English), CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org; Princeton WordNet 3.0; Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913, public domain) via GCIDE. Worksheet from https://activatewords.com/w/bold