Where does “better” come from?

better (Central Franconian) comes from Old High German bittar, from Old Norse bitr, from Proto-Germanic bitraz, from Proto-Indo-European bʰidrós — biting, splitting.

better (Central Franconian): bitter

Definitions

  1. bitter

Ancestry of “better”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old High Germanbittarbitter
2Old Norsebitrbitter
3Proto-Germanicbitrazbitter
4Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰidrósbiting, splitting
Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰidrós →Every word from Proto-Germanic bitraz →Every word from Old Norse bitr →