Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “Brentford” come from?

Brentford is an English place name containing Middle English ford, from Old English ford, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European pértus meaning a crossing or ford.

Ancestry of “Brentford”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishFordA make of car, named for Henry Ford
2Old Englishfordford
3Proto-West Germanicfurduford
4Proto-Germanicfurduzford
5Proto-Indo-Europeanpértuscrossing
6Proto-Indo-Europeanper-before, in front; first; to go through
7Proto-Indo-Europeanpr̥tóspassed , crossed
Every word from Proto-Indo-European pr̥tós →