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Added 7 October 2026

bold

/ˈbəʊld/ adjective

In Latin: audens, audax Wiktionary

adjective Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about bold at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

Courageous; daring.
Bold deeds win admiration and, sometimes, medals.
Visually striking; conspicuous.
the painter's bold use of colour and outline
Having thicker strokes than the ordinary form of the typeface.
Many bold fonts are available on this computer.

verb

To make (a font or some text) bold.
Please bold all these subheads.
To make bold or daring.
To become bold or brave.

noun

A dwelling; habitation; building.

Origin

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”).

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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