English

by-play

Action carried on aside, commonly in dumb show, while the main action proceeds; action not intended to be observed by some of the persons present.

    Etymology graph

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    Origin

    From by- + play.

    From Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.

    Lineage

    • prefixEnglishby- “Town or city.”
      • inheritedMiddle Englishby “town”
        • inheritedOld Englishbī “being near”
        • derivedOld Norsebýr “town, settlement”
      • derivedMiddle Englishbi-
        • inheritedOld Englishbe- “be-”
        • derivedOld Englishbī- “by, near, around”
    • partEnglishplay “To act in a manner such that one has fun; to engage in activities expressly for the purpose of recr…”
      • inheritedMiddle Englishpleyen
        • inheritedOld Englishpleġan
        • inheritedOld Englishplegian “to move about quickly, play”
      • inheritedMiddle Englishpleye
        • inheritedOld Englishplega “game”

    Sources