Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “biden” come from?

biden (Middle English) comes from Old English bīdan, from Proto-West Germanic *bīdan, from Proto-Germanic bīdaną, from Proto-Indo-European bʰéydʰeti, from Proto-Indo-European bʰeydʰ- — to compel, force; to trust.

Ancestry of “biden”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishbīdanto stay, continue, live, remain, delay; wait for,...
2Proto-West Germanic*bīdan—
3Proto-Germanicbīdanąto wait; to wait for, to await
4Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰéydʰetito trust
5Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰeydʰ-to compel, force; to trust

Words derived from “biden”

  • bidden
  • bide
  • unbidden
  • biding
  • bidest
  • unbiddenly
  • byde
Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰeydʰ- →