Where does “besien” come from?
besien (Middle Dutch) comes from Old Dutch bisian, from Old Dutch bi-, from Old Dutch bī, from Proto-Germanic bi, from Proto-Indo-European h₂m̥bʰi, from Proto-Indo-European h₂n̥tbʰi, from Proto-Indo-European h₂énts, from Proto-Indo-European h₂ent- — on, onto.
Ancestry of “besien”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old Dutch | bisian | to look at, to inspect |
| 2 | Old Dutch | bi- | A prefix used to make transitive verbs |
| 3 | Old Dutch | bī | by, near |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | bi | by, at; near, around |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂m̥bʰi | around, on either side of, about; in exchange... |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂n̥tbʰi | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂énts | forehead; front |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂ent- | face; forehead; front |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂en- | on, onto |