Where does “biforan” come from?
biforan (Old Saxon) comes from Old Saxon bī, from Old English bī-, from Old English bī, from Proto-West Germanic bī, from Proto-Germanic bi, from Proto-Indo-European h₂m̥bʰi, from Proto-Indo-European h₂n̥tbʰi, from Proto-Indo-European h₂énts — on, onto.
biforan (Old Saxon): before that, before
Definitions
- before that, before
Ancestry of “biforan”, step by step
biforan traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Old Saxon bī
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old Saxon | bī | by, near, around |
| 2 | Old English | bī- | by, near, around; by- |
| 3 | Old English | bī | lullaby!; near, by; by, near, around |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | bī | by, at; near, around |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | bi | by, at; near, around |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂m̥bʰi | around, on either side of, about; in exchange... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂n̥tbʰi | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂énts | forehead; front |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂ent- | face; forehead; front |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂en- | on, onto |
via Old Saxon fora
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old Saxon | fora | before, against |
| 2 | Proto-West Germanic | forē | before, in front of |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | furai | before, in front of; before, in front |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | preh₂- | before, in front |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | per- | before, in front; first; to go through |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | pr̥tós | passed , crossed |