Where does “Hertford” come from?
Hertford comes from Old English Herutford, a combination of Old English ford and Proto-Germanic herutaz, ultimately deriving from Proto-Indo-European ḱerh₂- and pértus, which developed from the root per-.
Hertford (English): OS grid ref TL3212
Definitions
- OS grid ref TL3212
Ancestry of “Hertford”, step by step
Hertford traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English hert
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | hert | A hart; A depiction of a hart, including in... |
| 2 | Old English | heorot | deer, stag |
| 3 | Old English | ford | ford |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | furdu | ford |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | furduz | ford |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | pértus | crossing |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | per- | before, in front; first; to go through |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | pr̥tós | passed , crossed |
via Middle English ford
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | ford | — |
via Old English Heorotford
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old English | Heorotford | Hertford |