Where does “bygone” come from?

Bygone derives from English by and gone, the past participle of English go, ultimately from the verb be in Old English.

bygone (English): Having been or happened in the distant past; An...

Definitions

  1. Having been or happened in the distant past; An...

Ancestry of “bygone”, step by step

bygone 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 Englishbīlullaby!; near, by; by, near, around
4Proto-West Germanicbīby, 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 gone

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Englishgonepast participle of go; Alternative spelling of...
2Middle Englishgonto go; past participle of gon; Alternative form...
3Old Englishgānto go
4Proto-West Germanicgānto go
5Proto-Germanicgānąto go, walk
6Proto-Indo-Europeanǵʰengʰ-to walk; to step
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂en- →