Etymology Explorer › Irish

Where does “bí” come from?

bí (Irish) comes from Old Irish bí, from Proto-Celtic bitu, from Proto-Indo-European bʰeyh₂- — to fear, be afraid; to strike, hit; to hew, cut.

bí (Irish): be; pitch, resin; genitive singular masculine of...

Definitions

  1. be; pitch, resin; genitive singular masculine of...

Ancestry of “bí”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Irishbísecond/third-person singular habitual present...
2Proto-Celticbitu—
3Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰeyh₂-to fear, be afraid; to strike, hit; to hew, cut

Words derived from “bí”

  • bead
  • atá
  • beinn
  • biad
  • beite
Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰeyh₂- →