Where does “be-” come from?
be- (Middle High German) comes from Old High German bi-, from Proto-Germanic bi-, from Proto-Germanic bi, from Proto-Indo-European h₂m̥bʰi, from Proto-Indo-European h₂n̥tbʰi, from Proto-Indo-European h₂énts, from Proto-Indo-European h₂ent-, from Proto-Indo-European h₂en- — on, onto.
Ancestry of “be-”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old High German | bi- | — |
| 2 | Proto-Germanic | bi- | by, at |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | bi | by, at; near, around |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂m̥bʰi | around, on either side of, about; in exchange... |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂n̥tbʰi | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂énts | forehead; front |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂ent- | face; forehead; front |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂en- | on, onto |