Etymology Explorer › German

Where does “besondere” come from?

besondere (German) comes from Middle High German besunder, from Middle High German bī, from Old High German 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.

besondere (German): special, particular, extraordinary

Definitions

  1. special, particular, extraordinary

Ancestry of “besondere”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle High Germanbesunder—
2Middle High Germanbī—
3Old High Germanbīby, at
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
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂en- →