bold

Etymology 1

From Middle English bold, from Old English bold, blod, bolt, botl (“house, dwelling-place, mansion, hall, castle, temple”), from Proto-Germanic *budlą, *buþlą (“house, dwelling”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰew- (“to grow, wax, swell”) or *bʰuH-. Cognate with Old Frisian bold (“house”) (whence North Frisian bol, boel, bøl (“house”)), North Frisian bodel, budel (“property, inheritance”), Middle Low German būdel (“property, real estate”). Related to build.

noun

1. (obsolete) A dwelling; habitation; building.

Etymology 2

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”). For semantic development compare Italian affrontare (“to face, to deal with”), sfrontato (“bold, daring, insolent”), both from Latin frons (“forehead”).

adj

1. Courageous, daring.
   Bold deeds win admiration and, sometimes, medals.
   It would be extraordinarily bold of me to give it a try after seeing what has happened to you. 2005, Plato, translated by Lesley Brown, Sophist, page 239c
2. Visually striking; conspicuous.
   the painter's bold use of colour and outline
3. (typography, of typefaces) Having thicker strokes than the ordinary form of the typeface.
   Many bold fonts are available on this computer.
   In HTML, wrapping text in and tags produces bold text.
4. Presumptuous, forward or impudent.
5. (Ireland) Naughty; insolent; badly-behaved.
   All of her children are terribly bold and never do as they are told.
6. Full-bodied.
7. (Philippines) Pornographic; depicting nudity.
8. Steep or abrupt.
   The grounds descend with a bold slope to the water's edge, and rise finely upwards above the mansion, abounding with fine trees, and ornamented by a range of building at a distance, in a corresponding style […] 1808, William Bernard Cooke, A New Picture of the Isle of Wight, page 144

Etymology 3

From Middle English bolden, balden, from Old English baldian, bealdian, from Proto-Germanic *balþōną, related to *balþaz (see above). Cognate with Old High German irbaldōn (“to become bold, dare”).

verb

1. (transitive) To make (a font or some text) bold.
2. (transitive, obsolete) To make bold or daring.
   It touches vs, as France inuades our land Not bolds the King, with others whome I feare, Moſt iuſt and heauy cauſes make oppoſe.
3. (intransitive, obsolete) To become bold or brave.