abide

The story

1. Proto-Indo-European*ud-s-?
2. Proto-Indo-European*h₂u-s-?
3. Proto-Germanic*uz-
4. Proto-Indo-European*bʰeydʰ-
5. Proto-Indo-European*bʰéydʰeti
6. Proto-Germanic*bīdaną
7. Proto-Germanic*uzbīdaną
8. Proto-West Germanic*uʀbīdan
9. Old Englishābīdan
10. Middle Englishabyden
11. English todayabide

From Middle English abyden, from Old English ābīdan (“to abide, wait, remain, delay, remain behind; survive; wait for, await; expect”), from Proto-West Germanic *uʀbīdan, from Proto-Germanic *uzbīdaną (“to expect, tolerate”), equivalent to a- + bide. Cognate with Scots abide (“to abide, remain”), Middle High German erbīten (“to await, expect”), Gothic 𐌿𐍃𐌱𐌴𐌹𐌳𐌰𐌽 (usbeidan, “to expect, await, have patience”). The sense of pay for is due to influence from aby.

Words from the same roots

First known use, by meaning

• from mid-12th c. To endure without yielding; to withstand.
• from late 15th c. To bear patiently.
• from late 16th c. To pay for; to take the consequences of.
• mid-12th–mid-17th c. To wait in expectation.
• from ca. 1150—1350 to mid-17th c. To pause; to delay.
• from ca. 1150—1350 To stay; to continue in a place; to remain stable or fixed in some state or condition; to be left.
• from ca. 1350—1470 To have one's abode.
• from ca. 1350—1470 To endure; to remain; to last.