Where does “a-bay” come from?
a-bay (Middle English) comes from Old French aboi, from French aboyer, from Middle French abayer, from Old French abaier, from Old French bai, from Latin badius, from Proto-Indo-European bodyos — yellow.
a-bay (Middle English): Alternative form of abay
Ancestry of “a-bay”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old French | aboi | — |
| 2 | French | aboyer | to bark; to scream at or inveigh against... |
| 3 | Middle French | abayer | to bark |
| 4 | Old French | abaier | to bark |
| 5 | Old French | bai | bay-colored |
| 6 | Latin | badius | reddish brown, chestnut colored, bay |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | bodyos | yellow |
Words derived from “a-bay”