Where does “bi-” come from?

bi- (Proto-Germanic) comes 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.

bi- (Proto-Germanic): by, at

Definitions

  1. by, at

Ancestry of “bi-”, step by step

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

Words derived from “bi-”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂en- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂ent- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂énts →
bi- — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer