better

better · adjective, adverb, noun¹

1. Proto-Germanic*batiz
2. Proto-Germanic*batizô
3. Proto-West Germanic*batiʀō
4. Old Englishbetera
5. Middle Englishbettre
6. English todaybetter

From Middle English better, bettre, betre, from Old English betera (“better”), from Proto-West Germanic *batiʀō, from Proto-Germanic *batizô (“better”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰed-rós, from *bʰed- (“good”). Cognate with Dutch beter, German besser, Danish and Norwegian Bokmål bedre, Norwegian Nynorsk betre, Swedish bättre, Faroese and Icelandic betri. Also Sanskrit भ॒द्र (bhadrá, “blessed; fortunate; happy; good”) (from *bʰn̥d-ró-s). Related to best and battle (“getting better; improving; fruitful; fertile”). Compare also Icelandic batna (“to improve”), bót (“improvement”), German besser. More at batten, boot. False cognate of Persian بهتر (behtar).

better · verb²

Ellipsis of had better ('d better).

better · verb³

1. Proto-Germanic*batiz
2. Proto-Germanic*batizô
3. Proto-Germanic*batizōną
4. Old Englishbeterian
5. Middle Englishbeteren
6. English todaybetter

From Middle English beteren, from Old English beterian, betrian, from Proto-Germanic *batizōną. Cognate with West Frisian betterje (“to better”), Dutch beteren (“to better”), German bessern (“to better”), Danish bedre (“to better”), Swedish bättra (“to better”).

better · noun⁴

Alternative spelling of bettor or modern formation from the verb to bet + -er.