Where does “bitter” come from?

bitter (Middle Low German) comes from Old Saxon bittar, from Old Norse bitr, from Proto-Germanic bitraz, from Proto-Indo-European bʰidrós — biting, splitting.

Ancestry of “bitter”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Saxonbittarbitter
2Old Norsebitrbitter
3Proto-Germanicbitrazbitter
4Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰidrósbiting, splitting

Words derived from “bitter”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰidrós →Every word from Proto-Germanic bitraz →Every word from Old Norse bitr →
bitter — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer