Where does “barefooted” come from?
Barefooted derives from English bare and English foot, tracing through Middle English barn to Proto-Indo-European bʰer-.
barefooted (English): Wearing nothing on the feet; barefoot
Definitions
- Wearing nothing on the feet; barefoot
Ancestry of “barefooted”, step by step
barefooted traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English footed
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | footed | simple past tense and past participle of foot;... |
| 2 | Middle English | foted | Having a type or number of feet; footed;... |
| 3 | Middle English | fot | foot; The bottom, lower part or foundation of... |
| 4 | Old English | fōt | foot |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | fōt | foot |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | fōts | foot |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | pṓds | foot |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | póds | foot |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | ped- | to walk, to step; to stumble, to fall |
via English bare
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | bare | Minimal; that is or are just sufficient; Naked,... |
| 2 | Middle English | bare | Alternative form of bor |
| 3 | Old English | bær | bare, naked, unconcealed |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | baʀ | bare, naked |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | bazaz | bare, naked |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰosós | bare, barefoot |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰos- | to sally forth, barge, hurtle out; bare, barefoot |