Etymology Explorer › Old English

Where does “bed” come from?

bed (Old English) comes from Old English bedd, from Proto-West Germanic badi, from Persian بدی, from Persian بد, from Middle Persian 𐭯𐭥𐭭, from Proto-Iranian pati-, from Proto-Iranian *rādi-, from Proto-Iranian *rād- — to fit, to fix, to put together.

bed (Old English): Alternative form of bedd; bed; prayer,...

Definitions

  1. Alternative form of bedd; bed; prayer,...

Ancestry of “bed”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishbeddbed
2Proto-West Germanicbadibed
3Persianبدی—
4Persianبدbad; not good; evil; poorly, badly
5Middle Persian𐭯𐭥𐭭to; at; in
6Proto-Iranianpati-against, toward; lord
7Proto-Iranian*rādi-—
8Proto-Iranian*rād-—
9Proto-Indo-IranianHraHdʰ-—
10Proto-Indo-EuropeanHreh₁dʰ-to think; to arrange; to succeed, accomplish
11Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂reh₁-to think, reason; to arrange
12Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂er-to fit, to fix, to put together

Words derived from “bed”

  • bedridden
  • bedrid
  • bedriddenness
  • bederepe
  • bedredyn
  • bedreden
  • bedraden
  • bæddrædæn
  • bidrepe
  • bæddryda
  • bedrīp
  • bedreda
  • deaþbed
  • bedrida
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂er- →