Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “byen” come from?

byen (Middle English) comes from Old English bycġan, from Proto-West Germanic buggjan, from Proto-Germanic bugjaną, from Proto-Indo-European bʰewgʰ- — to bend; curve, arch.

Ancestry of “byen”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishbycġanto buy, pay for, acquire, redeem, ransom,...
2Proto-West Germanicbuggjanto buy
3Proto-Germanicbugjanąto deal; do business; exchange; to purchase; buy;...
4Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰewgʰ-to bend; curve, arch

Words derived from “byen”

  • buy
  • buying
  • buyer
  • buyback
  • homebuyer
  • buyeth
  • rebuy
  • buydown
  • homebuying
  • buyest
  • overbuy
  • buyable
  • unbuyable
  • underbuy
  • outbuy
  • housebuying
  • nonbuying
  • prebuy
  • nonbuyer
  • buyup
  • housebuyer
  • buy into
  • buy time
  • buy up
Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰewgʰ- →