Where does “buy” come from?
Buy comes from Middle English biggen, from Old Norse byggja, from Proto-Germanic bugjaną, from Proto-Indo-European bʰewgʰ-, ultimately from the root bʰuH-.
buy (English): To obtain in exchange for money or goods; To...
Definitions
- To obtain in exchange for money or goods; To...
Ancestry of “buy”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | byen | — |
| 2 | Old English | bycġan | to buy, pay for, acquire, redeem, ransom,... |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | buggjan | to buy |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | bugjaną | to deal; do business; exchange; to purchase; buy;... |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰewgʰ- | to bend; curve, arch |