Where does “by” come from?

by (Japanese) 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 (Japanese): Used to sign off a message/attribute a text

Definitions

  1. Used to sign off a message/attribute a text

Ancestry of “by”, step by step

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
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂en-Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂ent-Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂énts