Where does “bye” come from?
bye (Afrikaans) comes from Afrikaans by, from Dutch bij, from Middle Dutch bi, from Old Dutch bī, from Proto-Germanic bi, from Proto-Indo-European h₂m̥bʰi, from Proto-Indo-European h₂n̥tbʰi, from Proto-Indo-European h₂énts — on, onto.
bye (Afrikaans): plural of by
Ancestry of “bye”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Afrikaans | by | at; to; by |
| 2 | Dutch | bij | at, with; by, close to; to, towards |
| 3 | Middle Dutch | bi | by, near, around; beside, alongside; at, with |
| 4 | Old Dutch | bī | — |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | bi | by, at; near, around |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂m̥bʰi | around, on either side of, about; in exchange... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂n̥tbʰi | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂énts | forehead; front |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂ent- | face; forehead; front |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂en- | on, onto |