Where does “by” come from?

by (Czech) comes from Old Czech by, from Proto-Slavic *by.

by (Czech): third-person singular conditional subjunctive of...

Definitions

  1. third-person singular conditional subjunctive of...

Ancestry of “by”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old CzechbyIntroduces a clause two which the speaker has reservations or uncertainty
2Proto-Slavic*by
Every word from Proto-Slavic *byEvery word from Old Czech by
by — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer