by
Language: English
Part of speech: adv
Pronunciation: enpr: bī
ipa: /baɪ/
rhymes: -aɪ
homophone: bi
homophone: buy
homophone: bye
Forms: form: bye
Etymology: 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”).
Senses: examples: text: I watched the parade as it passed by.
glosses: Along a path which runs past someone or something.
examples: text: There was a shepherd close by.
text: [The helmsman] steered with no end of a swagger while you were by; but if he lost sight of you, he became instantly the prey of an abject funk […]
ref: 1899 March, Joseph Conrad, “The Heart of Darkness”, in Blackwood’s Edinburgh Magazine, volume CLXV, number MI, New York, N.Y.: The Leonard Scott Publishing Company, […], →OCLC, part II:
glosses: In the vicinity, near.
examples: text: I'll stop by on my way home from work.
text: We're right near the lifeguard station. Come by before you leave.
glosses: To or at a place, as a residence or place of business.
examples: text: The women spent much time after harvest putting jams by for winter and spring.
qualifier: uncommon outside the phrase 'put by'
glosses: Aside, away.
Derived terms: sense: terms derived from by (adverb)
word: betime
sense: terms derived from by (adverb)
word: beway
sense: terms derived from by (adverb)
word: bycause
sense: terms derived from by (adverb)
word: by foot
sense: terms derived from by (adverb)
word: bygone
sense: terms derived from by (adverb)
word: byline
sense: terms derived from by (adverb)
word: bypass
sense: terms derived from by (adverb)
word: bypoll
sense: terms derived from by (adverb)
word: byrlady
sense: terms derived from by (adverb)
word: bystanding
sense: terms derived from by (adverb)
word: by the by
sense: terms derived from by (adverb)
word: Bywater
sense: terms derived from by (adverb)
word: closeby
sense: terms derived from by (adverb)
word: drop by
sense: terms derived from by (adverb)
word: flyby
sense: terms derived from by (adverb)
word: forthby
sense: terms derived from by (adverb)
word: full and by
sense: terms derived from by (adverb)
word: hang-by
sense: terms derived from by (adverb)
word: hereby
sense: terms derived from by (adverb)
word: hushaby
sense: terms derived from by (adverb)
word: loteby
sense: terms derived from by (adverb)
word: nearby
sense: terms derived from by (adverb)
word: outbye
sense: terms derived from by (adverb)
word: passer-by
sense: terms derived from by (adverb)
word: passerby
sense: terms derived from by (adverb)
word: play-by-play
sense: terms derived from by (adverb)
word: put by
sense: terms derived from by (adverb)
word: right by
sense: terms derived from by (adverb)
word: sail-by
sense: terms derived from by (adverb)
word: sailby
sense: terms derived from by (adverb)
word: sail-by salute
sense: terms derived from by (adverb)
word: stand by
sense: terms derived from by (adverb)
word: stop by
sense: terms derived from by (adverb)
word: swingby
sense: terms derived from by (adverb)
word: thereby
sense: terms derived from by (adverb)
word: whereby