Where does “Foster” come from?
Foster (English) comes from Middle English foster, from Old English fōstor, from Proto-West Germanic *fōstr, from Proto-Germanic fōstrą, from Proto-Indo-European peh₂- — to protect; to shepherd.
Ancestry of “Foster”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | foster | — |
| 2 | Old English | fōstor | — |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | *fōstr | — |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | fōstrą | fostering |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | peh₂- | to protect; to shepherd |