Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “bestride” come from?

bestride (English) comes from Middle English bestriden, from Old English bestrīdan, from Old English be, from Proto-West Germanic bī, from Proto-Germanic bi, from Proto-Indo-European h₂m̥bʰi, from Proto-Indo-European h₂n̥tbʰi, from Proto-Indo-European h₂énts — on, onto.

bestride (English): To be astride something, to stand over or sit on...

Definitions

  1. To be astride something, to stand over or sit on...

Ancestry of “bestride”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishbestriden—
2Old Englishbestrīdan—
3Old Englishbeby
4Proto-West Germanicbīby, at; near, around
5Proto-Germanicbiby, at; near, around
6Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂m̥bʰiaround, on either side of, about; in exchange...
7Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂n̥tbʰi—
8Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂éntsforehead; front
9Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂ent-face; forehead; front
10Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂en-on, onto
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂en- →