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Definition 2024

bile-

bile-

See also: bile, bilé, bílé, and -bile

Old English

Alternative forms

  • bele-, bil-, byl-, byly-

Prefix

bile-

  1. Prefix denoting kindness or appropriateness
    bile- + ‎witt ‎(“mind, understanding, sense, sanity”) → ‎bilewit ‎(“merciful, kind”)
    bile- + ‎hwīt ‎(“white”) → ‎bilehwīt ‎(“pure, honest, sincere”)

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *bili- ‎(prefix), *biliz ‎(“gentle, kind, fitting”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰil- ‎(“decent, good, harmonious, friendly”). Cognate with Old Saxon bili- ‎(“uniform”), Old High German bili- ‎(“suitable, proper, fit”), Ancient Greek φίλο- ‎(phílo-, “friendly, kind, love of”). More at philosophy.

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