English
by-
By- comes from Old Norse býr ‘dwelling, town’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *bʰuH- ‘to be, become, grow, appear’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰuH-‘to be, become, grow, appear’root as named
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*būwiz‘dwelling’reconstructed
- Old Norsec. 800–1350býr‘dwelling, town’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500by‘town’
- Englishtodayby-
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰuH-‘to be, become, grow, appear’root as named
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*būwiz‘dwelling’reconstructed
- Old Norsec. 800–1350býr‘dwelling, town’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500by‘town’
- Englishtodayby-
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *bʰuH- ‘to be, become, grow, appear’
be, been, power, possible, future, present, build, physical, improve, presence, essential, bond, bush, bound, absence, contribution, physician, entity, booth, approve, probability, absent, favorable, distribute, contributor, fiat, bun, favourable, bouquet, retribution, attribution, imp, rebuke, impotent, impossibility, bower, aren, beamer, bosque, phylogeny, 86 more
through Middle English by ‘town’
Another origin of by-
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₁ep-‘to grab, snatch, get’uncertain
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₁épsuncertain
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₁épi‘on, at’uncertain
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₁piuncertain
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*bi‘by’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanic, derivedc. 500 BCE–200 CE*bi-‘by, at’reconstructed
- Englishtodayby-
Partly from a combining form of by (‘by, near, around’), and partly continuing Middle English bi-, by-, from Old English bī- (‘by, near, around’), from Proto-Germanic *bi-, whence also be-.
Today it means
prefix Town or city.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *bʰuH- / by-