English
be-
Be- comes from Proto-Germanic *bi ‘near, by’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *h₁epi.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₁epi‘at, near’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₁pireconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*bi‘near, by’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanic, derivedc. 500 BCE–200 CE*bi-reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*bi-reconstructed
- Englishearliest quotation 2010be-
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₁epi‘at, near’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₁pireconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*bi‘near, by’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanic, derivedc. 500 BCE–200 CE*bi-reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*bi-reconstructed
- Englishearliest quotation 2010be-
Earliest quotation: 2010, Hadley Freeman, Tattoos: what makes one spiritual and another Katona-esque?: “Similarly, one could argue that if these be-tattooed yogic…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *h₁epi ‘at, near’
through Proto-Germanic *bi ‘near, by’
through Proto-West Germanic *bi-
Today it means
prefix By, near, next to, around, close to.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *h₁epi / be-