Etymology Explorer › Old English

Where does “befȳlan” come from?

befȳlan (Old English) comes 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.

befȳlan (Old English): to befoul, defile; to befoul, defile, make dirty

Definitions

  1. to befoul, defile; to befoul, defile, make dirty

Ancestry of “befȳlan”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-Germanicbi-by, at
2Proto-Germanicbiby, at; near, around
3Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂m̥bʰiaround, on either side of, about; in exchange...
4Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂n̥tbʰi—
5Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂éntsforehead; front
6Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂ent-face; forehead; front
7Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂en-on, onto

Words derived from “befȳlan”

  • defile
  • defilement
  • defileth
  • defiler
  • undefilable
  • defilest
  • defilable
  • self-defilement
  • befile
  • befilen
  • defilen
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂en- →