*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of -bait

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *bʰeyd- Proto-Indo-European *-t Proto-Indo-European *bʰéydt Proto-Germanic *bītaną Proto-Indo-European *-yeti Proto-Indo-European *-éyeti Proto-Germanic *-janą Proto-Germanic *baitijaną

1 source sectionExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 1 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗
suffix

Forms nouns which refer to acts of manipulation or manipulative material which seek to elicit a particular response. · Forms verbs which refer to performing the above acts or creating the above material. · Alternative form of bait (etymology 1, noun sense 3)

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *bʰeyd- Proto-Indo-European *-t Proto-Indo-European *bʰéydt Proto-Germanic *bītaną Proto-Indo-European *-yeti Proto-Indo-European *-éyeti Proto-Germanic *-janą Proto-Germanic *baitijaną Old Norse beitabor. Middle English bayte English bait English -bait From bait.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "bait<id:lure>",
        "tree": "1",
        "text": "+"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nProto-Indo-European *bʰeyd-\nProto-Indo-European *-t\nProto-Indo-European *bʰéydt\nProto-Germanic *bītaną\nProto-Indo-European *-yeti\nProto-Indo-European *-éyeti\nProto-Germanic *-janą\nProto-Germanic *baitijaną\nOld Norse beitabor.\nMiddle English bayte\nEnglish bait\nEnglish -bait\n[Appendix:Glossary#loanword|Borrowed]] from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"bite\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"gloss\" : \"to bite\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*bʰeyd-\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" }, { \"children\" : [ ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*-t\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"is_group\" : true, \"keyword\" : \"affix\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*bʰéydt\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Germanic\", \"term\" : \"*bītaną\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"gem-pro\" }, { \"id\" : \"causative\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"causative suffix\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"forming verbs\", \"children\" : [ ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*-yeti\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"keyword\" : \"from\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*-éyeti\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Germanic\", \"term\" : \"*-janą\", \"lang\" : \"gem-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"is_group\" : true, \"keyword\" : \"affix\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Germanic\", \"term\" : \"*baitijaną\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"gem-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Old Norse\", \"term\" : \"beita\", \"lang\" : \"non\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"bor\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Middle English\", \"term\" : \"bayte\", \"lang\" : \"enm\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"bait\", \"lang\" : \"en\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"keyword\" : \"from\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"-bait\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"-bait\">\nFrom bait."
    },
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "bait<id:lure>",
        "tree": "1",
        "text": "+"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nProto-Indo-European *bʰeyd-\nProto-Indo-European *-t\nProto-Indo-European *bʰéydt\nProto-Germanic *bītaną\nProto-Indo-European *-yeti\nProto-Indo-European *-éyeti\nProto-Germanic *-janą\nProto-Germanic *baitijaną\nOld Norse beitabor.\nMiddle English bayte\nEnglish bait\nEnglish -bait\nFrom bait."
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "*bʰeyd-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/bʰeyd-"
    ],
    [
      "*-t",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/-t"
    ],
    [
      "*bʰéydt",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/bʰéydt"
    ],
    [
      "*bītaną",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/bītaną"
    ],
    [
      "*-yeti",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/-yeti#Proto-Indo-European:_forming_verbs"
    ],
    [
      "*-éyeti",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/-éyeti#Proto-Indo-European:_causative_suffix"
    ],
    [
      "*-janą",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/-janą#Proto-Germanic:_causative"
    ],
    [
      "*baitijaną",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/baitijaną"
    ],
    [
      "beita",
      "beita#Old_Norse:_bite"
    ],
    [
      "bayte",
      "bayte#Middle_English:_bait"
    ],
    [
      "bait",
      "bait#English:_lure"
    ],
    [
      "bait",
      "bait#English:_lure"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "suffix",
      "glosses": [
        "Forms nouns which refer to acts of manipulation or manipulative material which seek to elicit a particular response.",
        "Forms verbs which refer to performing the above acts or creating the above material.",
        "Alternative form of bait (etymology 1, noun sense 3)"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Internet",
        "morpheme",
        "uncountable",
        "alt-of",
        "alternative"
      ],
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      "rawRecordSha256": "c5695a9ccd5569cef7dc4acff402b39c8fc8480f2600fc535bf8c43ce069f60a",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 9356550
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
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    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
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}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for -bait →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-LWJhaXQ