bite (English)
Where does "bite" come from?
The English verb "bite" traces its roots back to the Proto-Indo-European *bʰeyd-, meaning "to split." Over centuries, this root evolved through Proto-Germanic and Old English as bītan, eventually stabilizing into the Middle English biten before becoming the modern word we use today.
Full etymology tree
- bite (English), 'To cut into something by clamping the teeth.'
- inherited biten (Middle English), 'to bite'
- inherited bītan (Old English), 'to bite'
- inherited *bītan (Proto-West Germanic), 'to bite'
- inherited *bītaną (Proto-Germanic), 'to bite'
- derived *bʰéydt (Proto-Indo-European), 'to split'
- derived *bʰeyd- (Proto-Indo-European), 'to split'
- derived *bʰéydt (Proto-Indo-European), 'to split'
- inherited *bītaną (Proto-Germanic), 'to bite'
- inherited *bītan (Proto-West Germanic), 'to bite'
- inherited bītan (Old English), 'to bite'
- inherited biten (Middle English), 'to bite'
Direct ancestors
- bʰeyd- (Proto-Indo-European)
- biten (Middle English)
- bitan (Old English)
- bītan (Proto-West Germanic)
- bītaną (Proto-Germanic)
- bʰeyd- (Proto-Indo-European)
- biete (Saterland Frisian)
- bite (West Frisian)
Updated July 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris