Where does “by” come from?

by (Danish) comes from Old Norse bǿr, from Old Norse búa, from Proto-Germanic būaną, from Proto-Indo-European bʰuH- — to become, grow, appear.

by (Danish): town, city

Definitions

  1. town, city

Ancestry of “by”, step by step

by traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Old Norse bǿr

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Norsebǿrfarm; town
2Old Norsebúato reside; to prepare; to dress, decorate
3Proto-Germanicbūanąto dwell, reside
4Proto-Indo-EuropeanbʰuH-to become, grow, appear

via Old Norse býr

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old NorsebýrAlternative form of bǿr; farm; town; place ,...
2Proto-Germanicbūwizdwelling

Words derived from “by”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰuH- →Every word from Proto-Germanic būaną →Every word from Old Norse búa →