Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “bisemen” come from?

bisemen (Middle English) comes from Middle English bi-, from Old English bī-, from Old English bī, from Proto-West Germanic bī, from Proto-Germanic bi, from Proto-Indo-European h₂m̥bʰi, from Proto-Indo-European h₂n̥tbʰi, from Proto-Indo-European h₂énts — on, onto.

Ancestry of “bisemen”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishbi-—
2Old Englishbī-by, near, around; by-
3Old Englishbīlullaby!; near, by; by, near, around
4Proto-West Germanicbīby, at; near, around
5Proto-Germanicbiby, at; near, around
6Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂m̥bʰiaround, on either side of, about; in exchange...
7Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂n̥tbʰi—
8Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂éntsforehead; front
9Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂ent-face; forehead; front
10Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂en-on, onto

Words derived from “bisemen”

  • seem
  • bewilderment
  • bewildering
  • seeming
  • befitting
  • semen
  • befriend
  • seemeth
  • bedwell
  • seme
  • beguile
  • polysemy
  • guileless
  • polysemic
  • belittle
  • seemest
  • beguiling
  • beseem
  • bespin
  • meseemeth
  • bedraggled
  • beseemeth
  • semic
  • unbeknownst
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂en- →