Where does “everybody” come from?
Everybody comes from Middle English every and Old English bodiġ, ultimately derived from Proto-Indo-European bʰewdʰ-, a root of uncertain meaning.
everybody (English): All people
Ancestry of “everybody”, step by step
everybody traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English Body
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | Body | Corpus Christi College, Cambridge |
| 2 | Middle English | bode | messenger |
| 3 | Old English | boda | messenger, envoy, herald, apostle, angel; prophet |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | budô | messenger |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | beudaną | to offer, to bid |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰewdʰ- | to be awake, be aware |
via English every
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | every | of a countable group (considered individually), without exception |
| 2 | Middle English | every | Alternative form of everich |
| 3 | Old English | ǣlċ | — |
| 4 | Old English | ǣġhwylċ | each, every, any, all |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | aiwô | ever, always |