Where does “beguile” come from?
Beguile comes from Middle English be- prefixed to guile, ultimately deriving from Old English bī and Frankish wigila, tracing back through Proto-Indo-European h₁epi and ki- to Proto-Indo-European key-.
beguile (English): To deceive or delude; To charm, delight or...
Definitions
- To deceive or delude; To charm, delight or...
Ancestry of “beguile”, step by step
beguile traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English guile
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | guile | Astuteness often marked by a certain sense of... |
| 2 | Middle English | gile | gill |
| 3 | Anglo-Norman | gile | — |
| 4 | Old French | guile | trickery; deception |
| 5 | Old English | wīl | wile, trick |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | wīlą | craft, deceit |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | wéy- | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | éǵh₂ | I |
via Middle English begilen
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | begilen | — |