Where does “bewilder” come from?
I need to work through this chain carefully to create an accurate etymology sentence.
The chain given is: English wilder | English wild | English weald | Old English bī | Proto-Indo-European h₁epi | Proto-Indo-European wel- | Proto-Indo-European wel- | Proto-Indo-European key-
However, there's a problem: this chain doesn't actually lead to "bewilder." The chain provided seems confused or incomplete. "Bewilder" would come from "be-" + "wilder," where "wilder" is the verb form of "wild." But the chain jumps around and includes words like "weald" (an old word for forest/open country) and "bī" (Old English for "by"), which don't form a clear etymological path to "bewilder."
Given the instruction to "state only what the chain supports" and "do not invent
bewilder (English): To confuse, disorientate, or puzzle someone,...
Definitions
- To confuse, disorientate, or puzzle someone,...
Ancestry of “bewilder”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | wilder | To bewilder, perplex; comparative form of wild:... |
| 2 | English | wild | Untamed; not domesticated; specifically, in an... |
| 3 | Middle English | wild | — |
| 4 | Old English | wilde | wild, savage |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | wilþī | wild |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | wilþijaz | wild |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂welh₁- | to rule; strong, powerful; hair; wool |
Words derived from “bewilder”