English
forbite
Forbite comes from Middle English forbiten ‘to bite up’, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰéydt ‘to split’, and ultimately from *bʰeyd-.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰeyd-‘to split’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰéydt‘to split’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*bītaną‘to bite’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*bītan‘to bite’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150bītan‘to bite’
- Old English, derivedc. 450–1150forbītan‘to bite up, bite into pieces, destroy by biting’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500forbiten‘to bite up’
- Englishtodayforbite
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰeyd-‘to split’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰéydt‘to split’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*bītaną‘to bite’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*bītan‘to bite’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150bītan‘to bite’
- Old English, derivedc. 450–1150forbītan‘to bite up, bite into pieces, destroy by biting’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500forbiten‘to bite up’
- Englishtodayforbite
Proto-Indo-European *pro- ‘before, in front of’
Proto-Germanic *fra- ‘off, away’
Proto-West Germanic *fra- ‘forms verbs with the sense of "away from" or…’
English for-
Proto-Indo-European *bʰeyd- ‘split’
…
Proto-Germanic *bītaną
Proto-West Germanic *bītan ‘to bite’
Old English bītan
Middle English biten ‘to bite’
English bite
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *bʰeyd- ‘to split’
boat, fiber, fibre, bitter, fission, fissure, feta, fissile, abet, fettuccine, 24 more
through Proto-Indo-European *bʰéydt ‘to split’
through Proto-Germanic *bītaną ‘to bite’
Today it means
verb To bite up, bite to pieces.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *bʰeyd- / forbite