Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

bist

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: 2.09 in modern English

Syllables: bist
IPA

6

Scrabble Score

4

Letters

1

Syllables

4

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

Used to form the second person singular of be.

British usage

Example Sentences

"Thee bist rayther too much a feelosofer, I be afeard, for me."
"Lookee, thee bist purty, my love; lookee, thee bist purty: thee hast dove's eyes betwix thy locks; thy locks be like a flock o' ship fur thickedness."
""[…] Stay thee where tha bist, sit down on thi property; what's the sense of wanderen over the barren sea and maybe happenen an accident?""
"Where bist goin'. Where are you going?"
"How bist? How are you?"

Etymology

From Middle English bist, beest, best, from Old English bist ("(thou) art"; second person singular of bēon (“to be”)), from Proto-Germanic *biusi (“(thou) art”), equivalent to be + -est. Cognate with West Frisian bist (“(thou) art”), Low German büst (“(thou) art”), German bist (“(thou) art”).

Origin

Source language: Middle English

Word Breakdown

Root: bist, *biusi
Suffix: be

Usage

British usage

Frequently Paired Words

bin bisn't

Synonyms

RU re'you

Rhymes With

list missed fair list exist assist pissed twist resist dismissed insist wrist kissed

Questions

What does bist mean?: Used to form the second person singular of be.
Where does bist come from?: It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce bist

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “bist”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
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Repeat and practice — Say “bist” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.