Where does “beginner” come from?
beginner (Dutch) comes from Dutch beginnen, from Middle Dutch beginnen, from Old Dutch biginnan, from Proto-West Germanic *biginnan, from Proto-Germanic biginnaną, from Proto-Germanic bi-, from Proto-Germanic bi, from Proto-Indo-European h₂m̥bʰi — on, onto.
beginner (Dutch): Someone who is just starting something, or has...
Definitions
- Someone who is just starting something, or has...
Ancestry of “beginner”, step by step
beginner traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Dutch beginnen
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dutch | beginnen | to begin |
| 2 | Middle Dutch | beginnen | to begin, to start; to arise, to originate |
| 3 | Old Dutch | biginnan | to begin; to form |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | *biginnan | to start, to begin |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | biginnaną | to begin |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | bi- | by, at |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | bi | by, at; near, around |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂m̥bʰi | around, on either side of, about; in exchange... |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂n̥tbʰi | — |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂énts | forehead; front |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂ent- | face; forehead; front |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂en- | on, onto |