by
/baɪ/
Word Rarity
Common
Frequency: Zipf frequency 6.66 in modern English
7
Scrabble Score
2
Letters
1
Syllables
2
Unique Chars
Meaning
prep
From one side of something to the other, passing close by; past.
prep
Not later than (the given time); not later than the end of (the given time interval); before.
prep
Indicates the person or thing that does or causes something: Through the action or presence of.
prep
Indicates the person or thing that does or causes something: Through the action or presence of.
Example Sentences
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₁ep-der. Proto-Indo-European *h₁épsder. Proto-Indo-European *h₁épider. Proto-Indo-European *h₁pi Proto-Germanic *bi Proto-West Germanic *bī Old English bī Middle English by English by From Middle English by, bi, from Old English bī (“by; near; around”), from Proto-West Germanic *bī, from Proto-Germanic *bi (“near; by; around; about”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁epi. Cognate with West Frisian by (“by; near”), Afrikaans by (“at; by; near”), Saterland Frisian bie (“near; by”), Dutch bij (“near; by”), German Low German bi (“by; near; at”), German bei (“by; near; at”).