Word Origin Atlas

Webster 1913 directory

Historical records beginning with B

Each result is one exact historical sense, not a claim about modern etymological consensus.

Quick answer

4 released Webster 1913 records begin with B.

Source-first Reviewed Sep 2026
adverb

Back

[Shortened from aback.]

Webster 1913 exact recordadjective

Better

[OE. betere, bettre, and as adv. bet, AS. betera, adj., and bet, adv.; akin to Icel. betri, adj., betr, adv., Goth. batiza, adj., OHG. bezziro, adj., baz, adv., G. besser, adj. and adv., bass, adv., E. boot, and prob. to Skr. bhadra excellent. See Boot advantage, and cf. Best, Batful.]

Webster 1913 exact recordnoun

Break

[See Break, v. t., and cf. Brake (the instrument), Breach, Brack a crack.]

Webster 1913 exact recordnoun

Bank

[F. banque, It. banca, orig. bench, table, counter, of German origin, and akin to E. bench; cf. G. bank bench, OHG. banch. See Bench, and cf. Banco, Beach.]

Webster 1913 exact record

What this answer proves

One named sense in one historical dictionary edition.

The answer reports the selected headword, part of speech, etymology, definition, and source locator as transcribed in the cross-verified 1913 record.

Evidence boundaryIt does not establish the earliest attestation or a complete borrowing chain.It does not claim current scholarly consensus or a modern dictionary definition.Historical dictionary text may be obsolete, incomplete, inaccurate, or offensive by modern standards.

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