better

Examples: 'The word "better" is important to learn.' 'Please use "better" in your sentence.' 'Understanding "better" helps with spelling.'

Middle English {it}betere, bettere, bettre, better,{/it} going back to Old English {it}betera, betra, bettra,{/it} going back to Germanic {it}*batizōn{/it} (whence also Old Frisian {it}betera, betra,{/it} Old Saxon {it}betara,{/it} Old High German {it}bezziro,{/it} Old Icelandic {it}betri,{/it} Gothic {it}batiza{/it}), comparative degree of an otherwise unattested adjective from a base {it}*bat-,{/it} whence also, with lengthened o-grade, {it}*bōtō{/it} "improvement," whence Old English {it}bōt{/it} "a making good, remedy, improvement, atonement," Old Frisian {it}bōte{/it} "atonement, compensation," Old Saxon {it}bōta{/it} "remedy, aid, deliverance," Old High German {it}buoza{/it} "amendment, remedy, penance, punishment," Old Icelandic {it}bót{/it} "remedy, atonement, compensation," Gothic {it}bota{/it} "usefulness, profit"; {it}*bat-{/it} perhaps going back to Indo-European {it}*b{sup}h{/sup}Hd-,{/it} zero-grade of a root {it}*b{sup}h{/sup}eHd-,{/it} whence also Sanskrit {it}bhadráḥ{/it} "fortunate, blessed, delightful," Avestan {it}hubaδra-{/it} "fortunate" (< {it}*b{sup}h{/sup}oHd-ro,{/it} with loss of {it}H{/it} before an unaspirated voiced stop)

Middle English betere, bettere, bettre, better, going back to Old English betera, betra, bettra, going back to Germanic *batizōn (whence also Old Frisian betera, betra, Old Saxon betara, Old High German bezziro, Old Icelandic betri, Gothic batiza), comparative degree of an otherwise unattested adjective from a base *bat-, whence also, with lengthened o-grade, *bōtō "improvement," whence Old English bōt "a making good, remedy, improvement, atonement," Old Frisian bōte "atonement, compensation," Old Saxon bōta "remedy, aid, deliverance," Old High German buoza "amendment, remedy, penance, punishment," Old Icelandic bót "remedy, atonement, compensation," Gothic bota "usefulness, profit"; *bat- perhaps going back to Indo-European {it}*b{sup}h{/sup}Hd-,{/it} zero-grade of a root {it}*b{sup}h{/sup}eHd-,{/it} whence also Sanskrit bhadráḥ "fortunate, blessed, delightful," Avestan hubaδra- "fortunate" (< {it}*b{sup}h{/sup}oHd-ro,{/it} with loss of H before an unaspirated voiced stop)