Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “bodysnatching” come from?

bodysnatching (English) comes from English Body, from Middle English bode, from Old English boda, from Proto-Germanic budô, from Proto-Germanic beudaną, from Proto-Indo-European bʰewdʰ- — to be awake, be aware.

bodysnatching (English): The illicit theft of cadavers, especially by...

Definitions

  1. The illicit theft of cadavers, especially by...

Ancestry of “bodysnatching”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishBody—
2Middle Englishbodemessenger
3Old Englishbodamessenger, envoy, herald, apostle, angel; prophet
4Proto-Germanicbudômessenger
5Proto-Germanicbeudanąto offer, to bid
6Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰewdʰ-to be awake, be aware
Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰewdʰ- →