bist

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”).

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -ɪst

Verb

bist

1. (Britain dialectal, Bristol, West Country, Northern England) Originally used to form the second person singular of be, but can denote other present tense forms, such as: are, am, is
   • 1875, Mark Lemon, Henry Mayhew, Tom Taylor, Punch:

     Thee bist rayther too much a feelosofer, I be afeard, for me.

   • 1904, Henry Branch, Cotswold and vale:

     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.

   Where bist goin'.

   Where are you going?

   I bist goin' 'ome.

   I am going home

   How bist?

   How are you?

Anagrams

• TBIs, bits, stib-, tibs

Etymology

From Middle High German and Old High German bist. Cognate to Middle Dutch bes, best^[1], dialectal English bist, beest.

German bist has two sources:

• a form based on Proto-Indo-European *h₁ésti (“(you) are (sg.)”)
• an initial b- that was added to the word under influence of verb forms based on Proto-Germanic *beuną (as in Old English beon)^[2]

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bɪst/

• audio

  (file)

Verb

bist

1. Second-person singular present of sein.

   Du bist nicht mein Sohn.

   You are not my son.

References

Etymology

From Tajik бист (bist).

Numeral

bist

1. twenty

Verb

bist

1. second-person singular present indicative of wêze

Noun

bist n (plural bisten)

1. beast, animal

   De bisten bin fuort. ― The beasts are gone.