Where does “啤酒” come from?
啤酒 (Chinese) comes from Chinese 啤, from English bear, from Middle English bere, from Old English bere, from Old English tūn, from Proto-West Germanic tūn, from Proto-Germanic tūną, from Gaulish dunum — smoke; mist, haze.
啤酒 (Chinese): beer
Ancestry of “啤酒”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Chinese | 啤 | — |
| 2 | English | bear | A large omnivorous mammal, related to the dog and... |
| 3 | Middle English | bere | bear; To pierce |
| 4 | Old English | bere | barley; first-person singular present indicative... |
| 5 | Old English | tūn | enclosure, yard; place; dwelling |
| 6 | Proto-West Germanic | tūn | fence |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | tūną | fence; enclosure |
| 8 | Gaulish | dunum | fort; hill, hillfort |
| 9 | Proto-Celtic | dūnom | stronghold, rampart |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | dʰewh₂- | smoke; mist, haze |