Where does “by” come from?

by (Norwegian Nynorsk) comes from Old Norse bjóða, from Proto-Germanic beudaną, from Proto-Indo-European bʰewdʰ- — to be awake, be aware.

by (Norwegian Nynorsk): town, city; to command, order; to bid, offer

Definitions

  1. town, city; to command, order; to bid, offer

Ancestry of “by”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Norsebjóðato offer; to bid, invite; to bid, order
2Proto-Germanicbeudanąto offer, to bid
3Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰewdʰ-to be awake, be aware

Words derived from “by”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰewdʰ- →Every word from Proto-Germanic beudaną →Every word from Old Norse bjóða →