Middle English word botle comes from Proto-Indo-European *bʰōw-, Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂w-, Proto-Indo-European *bū-, Proto-Indo-European *bʰeld-, Proto-Indo-European *bʰowHéyeti, Proto-Indo-European - -yéti, Proto-Germanic *bʰeh₂utlom, and later Proto-Germanic *bultaz (Bolt.)
| Dictionary entry | Language | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| *bʰōw- | Proto-Indo-European (ine-pro) | |
| *bʰeh₂w- | Proto-Indo-European (ine-pro) | |
| *bū- | Proto-Indo-European (ine-pro) | |
| *bʰeld- | Proto-Indo-European (ine-pro) | |
| *bʰowHéyeti | Proto-Indo-European (ine-pro) | |
| - -yéti | Proto-Indo-European (ine-pro) | |
| *bʰeh₂utlom | Proto-Germanic (gem-pro) | |
| *bultaz | Proto-Germanic (gem-pro) | Bolt. |
| *bʰuHyéti | Proto-Indo-European (ine-pro) | To be becoming, to be growing, to be appearing. |
| *bōþlą | Proto-Germanic (gem-pro) | House, dwelling. |
| *būaną | Proto-Germanic (gem-pro) | To dwell, to reside. |
| bolt | Old English (ang) | Bolt. |
| botle | Middle English (enm) |