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Dictionary

Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

bist en · VERB

Etymology

From Middle English bist, beest, best, from Old English bist ("(thou) art"; second person singular of bēon (“to be”)), from Proto-Germanic *biusi (“(thou) art”), equivalent to be + -est. Cognate with West Frisian bist (“(thou) art”), Low German büst (“(thou) art”), German bist (“(thou) art”).

Meanings

  1. (Northern-England, UK, West-Country, dialectal, qualifier:Black Country; Bristol; Black Country; Bristol) Used to form the second person singular of be.
    • Lookee, thee bist purty, my love; lookee, thee bist purty: thee hast dove's eyes betwix thy locks; thy locks be like a flock o' ship fur thickedness. 1904, Henry Branch, Cotswold and vale:
    • Where bist goin'. Where are you going?
    • "[…] Stay thee where tha bist, sit down on thi property; what's the sense of wanderen over the barren sea and maybe happenen an accident?" 1937, Homer, The Odyssey:
    • How bist? How are you?
    • Thee bist rayther too much a feelosofer, I be afeard, for me. 1875, Mark Lemon, Henry Mayhew, Tom Taylor, Punch:

Relateds

bisn't · bin

Synonyms

re'you · RU

Translations (2)

nl bistu (are you) · nl bist (are you)