Where does “vierspan” come from?

vierspan (Dutch) comes from Dutch vier, from Middle Dutch vier, from Old Dutch fuïr, from Proto-West Germanic fuir, from Proto-Germanic fōr, from Proto-Indo-European péh₂wr̥ — bonfire; spelt.

vierspan (Dutch): A span of four horses arranged in pairs

Definitions

  1. A span of four horses arranged in pairs

Ancestry of “vierspan”, step by step

vierspan traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Dutch vier

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Dutchvierfour
2Middle Dutchvierfour; Alternative form of vuur
3Old Dutchfuïrfire
4Proto-West Germanicfuirfire
5Proto-Germanicfōrfire
6Proto-Indo-Europeanpéh₂wr̥bonfire; spelt

via Dutch span

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1DutchspanA span, a team; A cart or instrument with a team...
2Dutchspannento strain, to put tension on; to stretch
3Middle Dutchspannen
4Old Dutchspannan—
5Proto-Germanicspannanąto stretch, span
Every word from Proto-Indo-European péh₂wr̥ →