Where does “at bay” come from?

at bay (English) comes from English Bay, from French baie, from French bai, from Old French bai, from Latin badius, from Proto-Indo-European bodyos — yellow.

Ancestry of “at bay”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishBayA body of water (especially the sea) contained by a concave shoreline
2Frenchbaieberry; bay; feminine singular of bai
3Frenchbaibay
4Old Frenchbaibay-colored
5Latinbadiusreddish brown, chestnut colored, bay
6Proto-Indo-Europeanbodyosyellow
Every word from Proto-Indo-European bodyos →Every word from Latin badius →Every word from Old French bai →