Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/bijǭ

This Proto-Germanic entry contains reconstructed terms and roots. As such, the term(s) in this entry are not directly attested, but are hypothesized to have existed based on comparative evidence.

Proto-Germanic

Alternative forms

*bijō, *bīwō

Etymology

From Proto-Indo-European *bʰey- (“bee”). Cognate with Latin fūcus (“drone”), Old Irish bech (“bee”), Lithuanian bitė (“bee”).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈbi.jɔː/

Noun

*bijǭ f

bee

Inflection

Ablauting n-stem, alternating between e-grade stem *bijōn- and zero-grade stem *bin-.

feminine on-stemDeclension of *bijǭ (feminine on-stem)
	singular	plural
nominative	*bijǭ	*bijōniz
vocative	*bijǭ	*bijōniz
accusative	*bijōnų	*binunz
genitive	*biniz	*binǫ̂
dative	*binini	*bijummiz
instrumental	*binē	*binōmiz

Related terms

*biniz

Descendants

Proto-West Germanic: *bijā
- Old English: bēo, bīo, bī
  - Middle English: bee, be, beo, bey
    - English: bee
    - Scots: bee, be, beye, bie, bea
    - Yola: been (plural)
- Old Frisian: *bē
  - West Frisian: bij
- Old Saxon: *bīa
  - Middle Low German: bîe, bê, beie
    - Low German: Bee, bigge
    - Plautdietsch: Bie
- Old Dutch: *bīa
  - Middle Dutch: bië
    - Dutch: bij
      - Afrikaans: by
    - West Flemish: bie
    - Zealandic: bie, bieë
- Old High German: pīa, bīa
  - Middle High German: bīe
    - Alemannic German: Bii
    - Central Franconian: Bei
    - German: Beie (obsolete)
    - Luxembourgish: Bei
Old Norse: bý
- Icelandic: bý
- Norwegian Bokmål: bie
- Norwegian Nynorsk: bie
- Old Swedish: bī, bȳ
  - Swedish: bi
- Old Danish: bī
  - Danish: bi
- Gutnish: bei
- ⇒ Faroese: býfluga
- ⇒ Icelandic: býfluga