Etymology Explorer › Old English

Where does “bitter” come from?

bitter (Old English) comes from Old English biter, from Old Norse bitr, from Proto-Germanic bitraz, from Proto-Indo-European bʰidrós — biting, splitting.

bitter (Old English): Alternative form of biter

Definitions

  1. Alternative form of biter

Ancestry of “bitter”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishbiterbitter; bitter, severe, painful, biting
2Old Norsebitrbitter
3Proto-Germanicbitrazbitter
4Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰidrósbiting, splitting

Words derived from “bitter”

  • bitter
  • bitters
  • embitter
  • embittering
  • embitterment
  • imbitter
  • bitterish
  • bitterroot
  • bittering
  • bitternut
  • bitterbrush
  • bittercress
  • bitterweed
  • unbitter
  • bitterwort
  • bitterwood
  • imbitterment
  • bittermelon
  • embitterer
  • unbitterly
  • embittereth
  • debitter
  • imbitterer
  • disembitter
Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰidrós →