Where does “bereave” come from?
bereave (English) comes from Middle English bireven, from Old English berēafian, from Proto-Germanic biraubōną, from Proto-Germanic bi-, from Proto-Germanic bi, from Proto-Indo-European h₂m̥bʰi, from Proto-Indo-European h₂n̥tbʰi, from Proto-Indo-European h₂énts — on, onto.
bereave (English): To deprive by or as if by violence; to rob; to...
Definitions
- To deprive by or as if by violence; to rob; to...
Ancestry of “bereave”, step by step
bereave traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English bireven
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | bireven | To cause someone to lose something; To kill; to... |
| 2 | Old English | berēafian | to bereave, deprive of, take away, seize, rob,... |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | biraubōną | to bereave, spoil, take away |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | bi- | by, at |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | bi | by, at; near, around |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂m̥bʰi | around, on either side of, about; in exchange... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂n̥tbʰi | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂énts | forehead; front |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂ent- | face; forehead; front |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂en- | on, onto |
via Old English berēofan
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old English | berēofan | to bereave, deprive, rob of |
| 2 | Old English | be- | a productive prefix usually used to form verbs... |
| 3 | Old English | hrōpan | to shout, proclaim; cry out, scream, howl; to cry... |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | hrōpan | to cry out, to call, to shout |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | hrōpaną | to cry out, call, shout |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱer- | to grow, to make grow, to nourish; to plait,... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | kr̥- | to turn, to bend |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | ker- | army |