Where does “big” come from?
big (Middle English) comes from Middle English biggen, from Old Norse byggja, from Proto-Germanic būwijaną, from Proto-Germanic būaną, from Proto-Indo-European bʰuH- — to become, grow, appear.
Ancestry of “big”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | biggen | build; dwell |
| 2 | Old Norse | byggja | to settle, build; to inhabit, dwell, live; to let... |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | būwijaną | to settle, to inhabit |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | būaną | to dwell, reside |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰuH- | to become, grow, appear |