Where does “barndoor” come from?

barndoor (English) comes from English barn, from Middle English barn, from Old English bearn, from Old English bereærn, from Old English bere, from Old English tūn, from Proto-West Germanic tūn, from Proto-Germanic tūną — smoke; mist, haze.

barndoor (English): The large door of a barn

Definitions

  1. The large door of a barn

Ancestry of “barndoor”, step by step

barndoor traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English barn

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishbarnA building, often found on a farm, used for...
2Middle EnglishbarnA member of one's immediate offspring or progeny;...
3Old Englishbearnchild; first/third-person singular preterite of...
4Old Englishbereærnbarn, granary
5Old Englishberebarley; first-person singular present indicative...
6Old Englishtūnenclosure, yard; place; dwelling
7Proto-West Germanictūnfence
8Proto-Germanictūnąfence; enclosure
9Gaulishdunumfort; hill, hillfort
10Proto-Celticdūnomstronghold, rampart
11Proto-Indo-Europeandʰewh₂-smoke; mist, haze

via English door

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishdoorA portal of entry into a building, room, or...
2Middle EnglishdoreA door or gate structure barring an entrance
3Old Englishdorabumblebee
4Proto-Germanicdurôbumblebee, humming insect
5Proto-Indo-Europeandʰer-to support; to hold
Every word from Proto-Indo-European dʰewh₂-Every word from Proto-Celtic dūnomEvery word from Gaulish dunum