Etymology

From Proto-Baltic *bēd-, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰēdʰ-, the lengthened grade of *bʰedʰ- ‎(“to bend, to press”). Via ē > ey alternation, there was also a parallel form *bʰeydʰ-, from which derive the Germanic and Greek forms, and its o-grade *bʰoydʰ-, from which derive the Slavic forms. (Some specialists consider bēda a borrowing from Slavic, but the falling intonation is not usually found on borrowings.) The meaning change was probably “to bend, to press” > “to experience coertion, humiliation” > “(to be in) a bad situation.” Cognates include Lithuanian bėdà, Proto-Slavic *běda ‎(“adversity, misery”) (Russian беда́ ‎(bedá, “adversity, tribulation, disaster”), Belarusian бе́дны ‎(bjédny), бяда́ ‎(bjadá), Ukrainian біда́ ‎(bidá), Czech běda, bída ‎(“need, poverty”), Polish bieda ‎(“poverty, deprivation, unhappiness”)), Gothic 𐌱𐌰𐌹𐌳𐌾𐌰𐌽 ‎(baidjan, “to ask for, to force”), Old High German beitten ‎(“ask for”), Gothic 𐌱𐌹𐌳𐌾𐌰𐌽 ‎(bidjan, “to ask, to request”) (< “to bend”), Old High German, German bitten, Sanskrit बाधते ‎(bā́dhate, “to press”), बाधाः ‎(bādháḥ, “obstacle, hardship”), Ancient Greek πείθω ‎(peíthō, “to convince, to persuade”), Latin fīdo ‎(“to trust, to rely upon”) (< *bʰidʰ-, the zero grade of *bʰeydʰ-).^[1]

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [bæ̀ːda]