Where does “bad” come from?
bad (Middle English) comes from Old English bæd, from Old English biddan, from Proto-West Germanic biddjan, from Proto-Germanic bidjaną, from Proto-Indo-European bʰidʰ-, from Proto-Indo-European bʰeydʰ- — to compel, force; to trust.
Ancestry of “bad”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old English | bæd | first/third-person singular preterite of biddan |
| 2 | Old English | biddan | to ask; to beg |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | biddjan | to ask, to make a request |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | bidjaną | to make a request; to ask; to request, ask |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰidʰ- | to command; pot, bucket, barrel |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰeydʰ- | to compel, force; to trust |