Etymoloy of black: Old English Version (adj)
1) Old English blæc "absolutely dark, absorbing all light, the color of soot or coal," from Proto-Germanic *blakaz "burned" (source also of Old Norse blakkr "dark," Old High German blah "black," Swedish bläck "ink," Dutch blaken "to burn"), from PIE *bhleg- "to burn, gleam, shine, flash" (source also of Greek phlegein "to burn, scorch," Latin flagrare "to blaze, glow, burn"), from root *bhel-(1) "to shine, flash, burn."
The same root produced Old English blac "bright, shining, glittering, pale .
Ultimately from Proto-Germanic *blankaz (“white, bright, blinding”), from Proto-Indo-European *bhleg- (“to shine”), through a Late Latin, Vulgar Latin *blancus. Found as early as the Cantar de Mio Cid[1]. Compare Old High German blanch (“shining, bright, white”) (German blank), Old English blanc (“white, grey”), blanca (“white steed”), Dutch blank.
(Hold up: Didn't we just read that black meant blanca or blanc?
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