Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “barn” come from?

Barn derives from Middle English barn, from Old Norse barn, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European bʰer-, the root for "to bear" or "carry."

barn (English): A building, often found on a farm, used for...

Definitions

  1. A building, often found on a farm, used for...

Ancestry of “barn”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishbarnA member of one's immediate offspring or progeny;...
2Old Englishbearnchild; first/third-person singular preterite of...
3Old Englishbereærnbarn, granary
4Old Englishberebarley; first-person singular present indicative...
5Old Englishtūnenclosure, yard; place; dwelling
6Proto-West Germanictūnfence
7Proto-Germanictūnąfence; enclosure
8Gaulishdunumfort; hill, hillfort
9Proto-Celticdūnomstronghold, rampart
10Proto-Indo-Europeandʰewh₂-smoke; mist, haze

Words derived from “barn”

  • barnyard
  • barnlike
  • barndoor
  • barnstorm
  • carbarn
  • barny
  • haybarn
  • barnful
  • barnfloor
  • barnraising
  • picobarn
  • housebarn
  • barnie
  • millibarn
  • barnboard
  • nanobarn
  • microbarn
  • barnstar
  • embarn
  • imbarn
  • show barn
  • zeptobarn
  • barn door
  • barnless
Every word from Proto-Indo-European dʰewh₂- →