Word: by Part of Speech: prep 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”). Pronunciation: /baɪ/ 1. Near or next to. Example: The mailbox is by the bus stop. 2. From one side of something to the other, passing close by; past. Example: The stream runs by our back door. Example: He ran straight by me. 3. Not later than (the given time); not later than the end of (the given time interval); before. Example: Be back by ten o'clock! Example: We'll find someone by the end of March. 4. After a given amount of time has elapsed or a given event has occurred. Example: By February, we were all sick of the cold. Example: By the time I realized I had left my phone at home, I was already two blocks from work. 5. Indicates the person or thing that does or causes something: Through the action or presence of. Example: The matter was decided by the chairman. Example: The boat was swamped by the water. 6. Indicates the person or thing that does or causes something: Through the action or presence of. Example: There was a call by the unions for a 30% pay rise. 7. Indicates the person or thing that does or causes something: Through the action or presence of. Example: I was aghast by what I saw. Example: In other directions the fields and sky were so much of one colour by the snow that it was difficult in a hasty glance to tell whereabouts the horizon occurred […]. 8. Indicates the creator of a work: Existing through the authorship etc. of. Example: There are many well-known plays by William Shakespeare 9. Indicates a means of achieving something: Involving/using the means of. Example: I'd know you anywhere by your gravelly voice. Example: I avoided the guards by moving only when they weren't looking. 10. Indicates an authority according to which something is done. Example: By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you man and wife. Example: I live by my own code of ethics. 11. Indicates an authority according to which something is done. Example: By Jove! I think she's got it! Example: By all that is holy, I'll put an end to this. 12. Indicates a means of classification or organisation. Example: I sorted the items by category. Example: Table 1 shows details of our employees broken down by sex and age. 13. Indicates the amount of change, difference or discrepancy Example: Our stock is up by ten percent. Example: We won by six goals to three. 14. In the formulae X by X and by Xs, indicates a steady progression, one X after another. Example: We went through the book page by page. Example: We crawled forward by inches. 15. [with the] Acted on in units of the specified size or measure. (Sometimes hyperbolically) Example: sold by the yard; cheaper if bought by the gross Example: While sitting listening to the radio by the hour, she can drink brandy by the bucketful! 16. Per; with or in proportion to each. Example: His health was deteriorating by the day. Example: The pickers are paid by the fortnight by the American bushel. 17. Indicates a referenced source: According to. Example: He cheated by his own admission. Example: By my reckoning, we should be nearly there. 18. Used to separate dimensions when describing the size of something. Example: It is easy to invert a 2-by-2 matrix. Example: The room was about 4 foot by 6 foot. 19. multiplied by or (chiefly South Asia) divided by 20. Designates a horse's sire (“male parent”). Example: She's a lovely little filly, by Big Lad, out of Damsel in Distress. 21. At; with; among. Example: Are you eating by Rabbi Fischer? (at the house of) Example: By Chabad, it's different. 22. in a windward direction, sailing near to the direction from which the wind is blowing