Where does “bigger” come from?
Bigger comes from English big, from Middle English big, from Old Norse byggja meaning to build, from Proto-Germanic bugjaną, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European bʰuH- meaning to grow or swell.
bigger (English): comparative form of big: more big; To make or...
Definitions
- comparative form of big: more big; To make or...
Ancestry of “bigger”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | big | Of great size, large; Thought to have undue... |
| 2 | Middle English | big | — |
| 3 | Middle English | biggen | build; dwell |
| 4 | Old Norse | byggja | to settle, build; to inhabit, dwell, live; to let... |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | būwijaną | to settle, to inhabit |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | būaną | to dwell, reside |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰuH- | to become, grow, appear |