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
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old Saxon | bittar | bitter |
| 2 | Old Norse | bitr | bitter |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | bitraz | bitter |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰidrós | biting, splitting |
Words derived from “bitter”