by-

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See also: Appendix:Variations of "by"

English

Alternative forms

Etymology 1

From Middle English by (“town”), of North Germanic origin, from Old Norse býr (“dwelling, town”), from Proto-Germanic *būwiz (“dwelling”). Cognate with Danish by (“town”). More at bower.

Prefix

by-

  1. (now mostly non-productive) Town or city.
    bylaw

Etymology 2

Partly from a combining form of by (“by, near, around”), and partly continuing Middle English bi-, by-, from Old English bī- (“by, near, around”), from Proto-Germanic *bi- (“by-”). Cognate with Dutch bij-, German bei-.

Prefix

by-

  1. Nearness or roundaboutness.
    bystander, bypass
  2. Secondary, incidental, or parallel to.
    by-product, byform, by-path
Derived terms
English terms prefixed with by-
Translations

Anagrams

Middle English

Etymology 1

Inherited from Old English bī-, from bī (Middle English by); compare bi-.

Alternative forms

Pronunciation

Prefix

by-

  1. A prefix forming nouns, often denoting adjacency, position, or relation.; near, around
Derived terms
Middle English terms prefixed with by-
Descendants
  • English: by-, be-
  • Scots: by-, be-
References

Etymology 2

Prefix

by-

  1. Alternative form of bi-
Wikious
Boobota
Sagapedia