Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “bi-” come from?

bi- (English) comes from Ancient Greek βίος, from Ancient Greek Γένεσις, from Proto-Hellenic génetis, from Proto-Indo-European ǵénh₁tis, from Proto-Indo-European ǵenh₁- — to produce, to beget, to give birth.

bi- (English): API; two, paired, both; half

Definitions

  1. API; two, paired, both; half

Ancestry of “bi-”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Ancient Greekβίοςlife
2Ancient GreekΓένεσις—
3Proto-Hellenicgénetisorigin, source
4Proto-Indo-Europeanǵénh₁tisbirth, production
5Proto-Indo-Europeanǵenh₁-to produce, to beget, to give birth

Words derived from “bi-”

  • cycle
  • set
  • billion
  • section
  • bilateral
  • segment
  • bike
  • onset
  • bicycle
  • offset
  • bipolar
  • outset
  • subsection
  • billions
  • setup
  • recycling
  • cycling
  • subset
  • sectional
  • trillion
  • segmentation
  • motorcycle
  • bicarbonate
  • reset
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ǵenh₁- →