Where does “bespeech” come from?

bespeech (English) comes from English Be, from Middle English be, from Old English bēo, from Proto-West Germanic *bijā, from Proto-Germanic bijō, from Proto-Indo-European bʰī- — to hit, to pierce.

bespeech (English): To address in speech

Definitions

  1. To address in speech

Ancestry of “bespeech”, step by step

bespeech traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English Be

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishBeAs an auxiliary verb
2Middle EnglishbeAlternative form of been; Alternative form of...
3Old EnglishbēoI become, I will be, I am; bee
4Proto-West Germanic*bijābee
5Proto-Germanicbijōbee
6Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰī-to hit, to pierce

via English speech

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishspeechThe faculty of uttering articulate sounds or...
2Middle Englishspechespeaking, speech; dialogue, discussion,...
3Old Englishspǣċ—
4Proto-West Germanic*sprākuspeech, language
Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰī- →Every word from Proto-Germanic bijō →Every word from Proto-West Germanic *bijā →