Middle English word beten comes from Proto-Indo-European *bū-, Proto-Indo-European *bhau-, Proto-Indo-European *bʰÀu-, Proto-Indo-European *bʰawd-, and later Proto-Germanic *bautaną (To beat, push.)
| Dictionary entry | Language | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| *bū- | Proto-Indo-European (ine-pro) | |
| *bhau- | Proto-Indo-European (ine-pro) | |
| *bʰÀu- | Proto-Indo-European (ine-pro) | |
| *bʰawd- | Proto-Indo-European (ine-pro) | |
| *bautaną | Proto-Germanic (gem-pro) | To beat, push. |
| bēatan | Old English (ang) | |
| beten | Middle English (enm) |