Words · English
English: B
bear
carry; endure; give birth to Drafted; not yet checked.
Relatives of English bear
This is bear in the sense of "carry." The old bh became b in Germanic, f in Latin and ph (an f-like sound) in Greek.
Drafted; not yet checked. Play Family Reunion
beaver
large river rodent that builds dams Drafted; not yet checked.
Relatives of English beaver
The old breathy bh became b in English, German and Russian but f in Latin (fiber).
Drafted; not yet checked. Play Family Reunion
beech
smooth-barked forest tree Drafted; not yet checked.
Relatives of English beech
The old bh became b in the Germanic words and f in Latin. The old g of fagus became k, which later softened to the ch of English beech and German Buche.
Drafted; not yet checked. Play Family Reunion
bind
tie up, fasten Drafted; not yet checked.
Relatives of English bind
Almost unchanged: Sanskrit bandh, Gothic bindan, English bind. The vowel moved from a to i in the Germanic words.
Drafted; not yet checked. Play Family Reunion
birch
white-barked tree Drafted; not yet checked.
Relatives of English birch
The old bh became b in German and Russian, while Sanskrit kept bh.
Drafted; not yet checked. Play Family Reunion
bite
cut into with the teeth Drafted; not yet checked.
Relatives of English bite
Bite once meant "to split." The old bh became b in English and Gothic and f in Latin; Sanskrit kept bh. The old d became t in Germanic.
Drafted; not yet checked. Play Family Reunion
bottom
lowest part, base Drafted; not yet checked.
Relatives of English bottom
The old breathy bh became b in English and German, f in Latin (fundus) and p in Greek (pythmēn).
Drafted; not yet checked. Play Family Reunion
bough
large branch of a tree Drafted; not yet checked.
Relatives of English bough
The old breathy bh stayed bh in Sanskrit (bāhu), became p in Greek (pēchys) and b in English and German. Bough first meant the arm or shoulder of an animal, and German Bug still does.
Drafted; not yet checked. Play Family Reunion
break
split into pieces; stop working Drafted; not yet checked.
Relatives of English break
The old breathy bh became b in English, German and Gothic but f in Latin (frangere, which also gains an n).
Drafted; not yet checked. Play Family Reunion
brother
son of the same parents Drafted; not yet checked.
Relatives of English brother
Sanskrit kept the breathy bh; English and German have b, and Latin f.
Drafted; not yet checked. Play Family Reunion
brow
eyebrow; forehead Drafted; not yet checked.
Relatives of English brow
The old bh became b in English and Russian and ph in Greek; Sanskrit kept bh. Brow first meant the eyebrow.
Drafted; not yet checked. Play Family Reunion