Where does “baby-sit” come from?

baby-sit (English) comes from English baby, from Middle English baby, from Middle English -y, from Old English -iġ, from Proto-West Germanic -g, from Proto-Germanic -gaz, from Proto-Indo-European -ḱos — -y, -ic.

baby-sit (English): To watch or tend someone else's child for a...

Definitions

  1. To watch or tend someone else's child for a...

Ancestry of “baby-sit”, step by step

baby-sit traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English baby

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishbabyA very young human, particularly from birth to a...
2Middle EnglishbabyA child or baby
3Middle English-yDesignates an adjective, in many cases formed by...
4Old English-iġ-y, -ic
5Proto-West Germanic-gForms adjectives from nouns and verbs with a...
6Proto-Germanic-gaz-y
7Proto-Indo-European-ḱos-y, -ic

via English sit

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishsitTo be in a position in which the upper body is...
2Middle Englishsittento sit
3Old Englishsittanto sit
4Proto-West Germanic*sittjanto sit
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -ḱosEvery word from Old English -iġEvery word from Middle English -y
baby-sit — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer