A Proposed Albanian-Based Etymology of the English Word Flower

Linguists generally propose that the English word flower derives from Latin flōs, flōris (“flower”), via Old French flor, and ultimately from the Proto-Indo-European root *bhel- meaning “to thrive” or “to bloom.” This root is said to be shared with words such as bloom, blossom, and flora (the Roman goddess of flowers). Many flower names have distinct origins—for example, daisy from Old English dæges ēage (“day’s eye”)—while others, such as chrysanthemum, derive from Greek roots like ánthos (“flower”) and khrýsos (“gold”).

The commonly cited etymological chain may be summarized as follows:

Latin: flōs, flōris (“flower”), with the accusative form flōrem

Old French: flor or flur (“flower,” “prime,” “innocence”)

Proto-Indo-European: *bhel- (“to thrive, bloom”), linked to Germanic forms such as blōstma (“blossom”) and bloom

However, within these proposed etymologies, something fundamental is missing. Contemporary methods of tracing word origins reveal a significant gap: the absence of the primordial meanings created at the earliest stages of human language. These original meanings were first formed around essential aspects of human life—most notably birth—and only later were symbolically extended to describe analogous phenomena in the external world.

The parallel between the birth of a human being and the emergence of a flower, which reproduces and renews the life of a tree, represents a more immediate and fundamental semantic root than later secondary or tertiary developments. These later sub-roots arise from earlier symbolic concepts centered on life, birth, and movement.

English flower: proposed origin

FLO-WER

BLO-WER

In Albanian, the forms bilë (“daughter”) and bir (“son”) express the concept of a child. Phonetically, bir may be understood as a development from an earlier BL form, yielding a BR pattern.

A flower can thus be interpreted as the “child” of a tree. From this perspective, the phonetic development bh(ë) > ph > f becomes significant. This element is related to the Albanian verb bë (“to do, to make”), while the alternation l > r reflects movement or the process of life.

This semantic field is also present in the Albanian words le (“to give birth”), lind (“to be born”), lule (“flower”), and lëviz (“to move”). From these forms, a coherent semantic development emerges, linking birth and the movement of life.

Albanian preserves these linguistic symbols in words that may be traced back to the earliest stages of human language formation.