English

bi-

Bi- comes from Proto-Italic *dwi- ‘two, bi-, di-’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *dwi-.

Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dwi-‘two’reconstructed
Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCEsame form‘two, bi-, di-’reconstructed
Englishtodaybi-

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dwi-‘two’reconstructed
Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCEsame form‘two, bi-, di-’reconstructed
Englishtodaybi-

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *dwi- ‘two’

with, double, 24 more

through Proto-Italic *dwi- ‘two, bi-, di-’

pimpernel, 5 more

Another origin of bi-

Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*gʷīwosuncertain
Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEβίοςbíos‘life’
Englishtodaybi-

Today it means

prefix Two in number.

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

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *dwi- / bi-

Shirt and support for this word