Where does “bequeath” come from?
Bequeath comes from Middle English bequethen, from Old English becweþan, combining the prefix be- with Old English bī, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European roots gʷet-, gū-, ki-, and key-.
bequeath (English): To give or leave by will; to give by testament;...
Definitions
- To give or leave by will; to give by testament;...
Ancestry of “bequeath”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | biquethen | To bequeath; to hand down to one's successors by will |
| 2 | Old English | becweþan | to say or assert; to reproach; to bequeath |
| 3 | Old English | be- | a productive prefix usually used to form verbs... |
| 4 | Old English | hrōpan | to shout, proclaim; cry out, scream, howl; to cry... |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | hrōpan | to cry out, to call, to shout |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | hrōpaną | to cry out, call, shout |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱer- | to grow, to make grow, to nourish; to plait,... |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | kr̥- | to turn, to bend |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | ker- | army |