Where does “begin” come from?
begin (Dutch) comes from Middle Dutch begin, from Old Dutch bigin, from Proto-Germanic *biginnan, from Proto-Germanic biginnaną, from Proto-Germanic bi-, from Proto-Germanic bi, from Proto-Indo-European h₂m̥bʰi, from Proto-Indo-European h₂n̥tbʰi — on, onto.
begin (Dutch): start, beginning
Ancestry of “begin”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle Dutch | begin | beginning, start; origin, source |
| 2 | Old Dutch | bigin | — |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | *biginnan | — |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | biginnaną | to begin |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | bi- | by, at |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | bi | by, at; near, around |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂m̥bʰi | around, on either side of, about; in exchange... |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂n̥tbʰi | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂énts | forehead; front |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂ent- | face; forehead; front |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂en- | on, onto |
Words derived from “begin”