Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “befie” come from?

befie (English) comes from English fie, from Middle English fy, from Old French fi, from Latin fi, from Latin facio, from Proto-Italic fakjō, from Proto-Italic *θakjō, from Proto-Indo-European *dʰh₁k-yé-ti — to do, put, place.

befie (English): To say "fie" to; defy

Definitions

  1. To say "fie" to; defy

Ancestry of “befie”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Englishfie"Often followed by" on "or" upon
2Middle Englishfy—
3Old Frenchfi—
4Latinfipah!, pooh!, foh!, bah!, an expression of...
5LatinfacioI do; I make, construct, fashion, frame, build,...
6Proto-Italicfakjōto make
7Proto-Italic*θakjō—
8Proto-Indo-European*dʰh₁k-yé-ti—
9Proto-Indo-Europeandʰeh₁-to do, put, place
Every word from Proto-Indo-European dʰeh₁- →