English
beek
Beek comes from Middle English beken ‘to warm, expose to heat’, from Old English bēacn ‘sign, signal’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂- ‘to glow, light, shine’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰeh₂-‘to glow, light, shine’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*baukną‘sign, symbol’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*baukn‘sign, symbol, signal’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150bēacn‘sign, signal’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500beken‘to warm, expose to heat’
- Englishtodaybeek
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰeh₂-‘to glow, light, shine’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*baukną‘sign, symbol’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*baukn‘sign, symbol, signal’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150bēacn‘sign, signal’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500beken‘to warm, expose to heat’
- Englishtodaybeek
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂- ‘to glow, light, shine’
phone, focus, professor, famous, fuel, phase, favor, favourite, ban, fantasy, fate, fancy, fame, photographer, ben, emphasis, phenomenon, profession, fatal, fairy, fabulous, abandon, infant, confession, confess, phantom, symphony, boon, eff, fab, fay, bane, prophetic, epiphany, fable, bee, foyer, banish, nefarious, profess, 125 more
through Proto-Germanic *baukną ‘sign, symbol’
through Proto-West Germanic *baukn ‘sign, symbol, signal’
through Middle English beken ‘to warm, expose to heat’
Today it means
verb To expose to a source of heat for warmth and pleasure.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂- / beek