Blow
/bloʊ/noun
To move air forcefully; to exhale; or a sudden gust of wind.
Did you know?The word ultimately comes from a Proto-Indo-European root meaning “to swell” or “inflate,” which also gave English words like *blister*, *bloat*, and *belly* — all carrying the same ancient sense of something puffing up with force.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*bʰleu-
“to swell, inflate, or blow”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*blōaną
“to blow, breathe”
Old English
OE
blāwan
“to blow, breathe, pant”
Middle English
ME
blowen
“to blow, breathe out, emit air”
Modern English
English
blow
“to move air forcefully; to exhale; to make a sudden gust of wind”