Where does “bays” come from?

Bay comes from French bai, from Latin badius, ultimately derived from Proto-Indo-European roots meaning reddish-brown in color.

bays (English): plural of bay; Third-person singular simple...

Definitions

  1. plural of bay; Third-person singular simple...

Ancestry of “bays”, step by step

bays traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via French baies

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Frenchbaiesplural of baie
2Frenchbaieberry; bay; feminine singular of bai
3Frenchbaibay
4Old Frenchbaibay-colored
5Latinbadiusreddish brown, chestnut colored, bay
6Proto-Indo-Europeanbodyosyellow

via English Bay

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishBayA body of water (especially the sea) contained by a concave shoreline
2Old Frenchbeeeopening
3Old Frenchbeerto open; to pant; to breathe heavily; to desire;...
4Late Latinbatāre
Every word from Proto-Indo-European bodyos