Where does “by-hour” come from?

by-hour (English) comes from English by, from Middle English by, from Old English bī, from Proto-West Germanic bī, from Proto-Germanic bi, from Proto-Indo-European h₂m̥bʰi, from Proto-Indo-European h₂n̥tbʰi, from Proto-Indo-European h₂énts — on, onto.

by-hour (English): A leisure hour

Definitions

  1. A leisure hour

Ancestry of “by-hour”, step by step

by-hour traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English by

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishbyNear or next to; From one side of something to...
2Middle Englishbybe
3Old Englishlullaby!; near, by; by, near, around
4Proto-West Germanicby, at; near, around
5Proto-Germanicbiby, at; near, around
6Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂m̥bʰiaround, on either side of, about; in exchange...
7Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂n̥tbʰi
8Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂éntsforehead; front
9Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂ent-face; forehead; front
10Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂en-on, onto

via English hour

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishhourA time period of sixty minutes; one twenty-fourth...
2Middle Englishhourehour; A time, occasion, or moment; A canonical...
3Old Frenchhourehour; time; moment to do something
4Latinhōrahour
5Ancient Greekὥραany defined period of time; season; climate
6Proto-Hellenic*worā
7Proto-Indo-Europeanwēr-true
8Proto-Indo-Europeanwer-to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂en-Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂ent-Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂énts