English

bain

Bain comes from Old Norse beinn ‘straight, right, favourable, advantageous,…’, and goes back to Proto-Germanic *bainaz.

Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*bainaz‘straight, right’reconstructed
Old Norsec. 800–1350beinn‘straight, right, favourable, advantageous, convenient, friendly, fair, keen’
Middle Englishc. 1150–1500bain
Englishtodaybain

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

Earlier history uncertain.

Lineage

Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*bainaz‘straight, right’reconstructed
Old Norsec. 800–1350beinn‘straight, right, favourable, advantageous, convenient, friendly, fair, keen’
Middle Englishc. 1150–1500bain
Englishtodaybain

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *bʰeyh₂- ‘to hit, strike, beat’

business, busy, biz, 7 more

through Proto-Germanic *bainaz ‘straight, right’

bone, bane, 1 more

Today it means

adj Ready; willing.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Proto-Germanic *bainaz / bain

Shirt and support for this word