Where does “B” come from?
B (Chinese) comes from English boy, from Middle English boye, from Old English bōia, from Proto-Germanic bōjô, from Proto-Germanic bō-, from Proto-Indo-European bʰā- — to say.
B (Chinese): baby
Definitions
- baby
Ancestry of “B”, step by step
B traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English boy
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | boy | A young male; A male child: a son of any age; A... |
| 2 | Middle English | boye | servant, commoner, knave, boy |
| 3 | Old English | bōia | boy |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | bōjô | younger brother, young male relation |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | bō- | A stem meaning "father, brother, close male... |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰā- | to say |
via English beta
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | beta | The second letter of the Greek alphabet (Β, β), preceded by alpha (Α, α) and followed by gamma, (Γ, γ). In modern Greek it represents the voiced labiodental fricative sound of v found in the English words have and vase |
| 2 | Hindi | बेटा | son |
| 3 | Middle Hindi | بیٿا | — |