An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Annotated/bellen

by Friedrich Kluge

bellen, verb, from the equivalent Middle High German bëllen, Old High German bëllan, ‘to bark, bellow’; Anglo-Saxon bëllan, English to bell (of a stag at the rutting period); the English word indicates accordingly that the primary meaning was more general than simply ‘barking, bellowing.’ If an e root be assumed, Old Bulgarian blěja, ‘bleat,’ and Latin fleo, ‘I weep’ (b, f from bh and bhlê for bhel), may be compared. Others have explained the West Teutonic root bell from belz, bels, bhels, which would result in its being cognate with Sanscrit bhaš, ‘to bark,’ bhâš, ‘to talk.’ Compare Lithuanian bàlsas, ‘voice, tone’; see, too, the following word and Bulle.