Where does “bī” come from?
bī (Old High German) comes from Proto-West Germanic bī, 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.
bī (Old High German): by, at
Ancestry of “bī”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Proto-West Germanic | bī | by, at; near, around |
| 2 | Proto-Germanic | bi | by, at; near, around |
| 3 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂m̥bʰi | around, on either side of, about; in exchange... |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂n̥tbʰi | — |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂énts | forehead; front |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂ent- | face; forehead; front |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂en- | on, onto |