betray

The story

1. Proto-Indo-European · inherited from*h₁epi“at, near”
2. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*bi“near, by”
3. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*bi-“be-”
4. Old English · inherited frombe-“be-”
5. Middle English · inherited frombetrayen
6. English todaybetray

From Middle English betrayen, bitrayen (“to commit an act of treason against”), equivalent to be- + tray (“to betray”). Middle English bi- is from Old English be- (“be-”), from Proto-Germanic *bi- (“be-”), from Proto-Germanic *bi (“near, by”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₁epi (“at, near”). Compare also traitor, treason, tradition. The modern sense “to disclose, discover, reveal unintentionally” is due to influence from or merger with English bewray (“to reveal, divulge”), which is similar in sound and meaning. The similarity with German betrügen, Dutch bedriegen, from Proto-West Germanic *bidreugan (“to betray, deceive”), is coincidental.

Words from the same roots