Where does “Body” come from?
Body comes from Middle English body, from Old English bodiġ, from Proto-West Germanic bodag, from Proto-Indo-European bʰewdʰ-.
Body (English): Corpus Christi College, Cambridge
Definitions
- Corpus Christi College, Cambridge
Ancestry of “Body”, step by step
Body traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English bode
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | bode | messenger |
| 2 | Old English | boda | messenger, envoy, herald, apostle, angel; prophet |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | budô | messenger |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | beudaną | to offer, to bid |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰewdʰ- | to be awake, be aware |
via Middle English body
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | body | — |
| 2 | Old English | bodiġ | stature |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | bodag | body, trunk, corpse |
| 4 | Proto-Turkic | *boda- | — |
Words derived from “Body”