by

by · preposition, adverb, adjective, noun, interjection¹

1. Proto-Indo-European*h₁ep-
2. Proto-Indo-European*h₁éps
3. Proto-Indo-European*h₁épi
4. Proto-Indo-European*h₁pi
5. Proto-Germanic*bi
6. Proto-West Germanic*bī
7. Old Englishbī
8. Middle Englishby
9. English todayby

From Middle English by, bi, from Old English bī (“by; near; around”), from Proto-West Germanic *bī, from Proto-Germanic *bi (“near; by; around; about”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁epi. Cognate with West Frisian by (“by; near”), Afrikaans by (“at; by; near”), Saterland Frisian bie (“near; by”), Dutch bij (“near; by”), German Low German bi (“by; near; at”), German bei (“by; near; at”).

BY · noun²

From the preposition by.

Words from the same roots