Where does “barrier” come from?
Barrier comes from Middle English barrere, from Old French barriere, from Old French barre meaning bar, from Vulgar Latin barra, from Frankish bara, from Proto-Germanic barō, from Proto-Indo-European bʰerH-.
barrier (English): A structure that bars passage; An obstacle or...
Definitions
- A structure that bars passage; An obstacle or...
Ancestry of “barrier”, step by step
barrier traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English barryer
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | barryer | — |
| 2 | Old French | barriere | — |
| 3 | Old French | barre | bar |
| 4 | Vulgar Latin | barra | barrier |
| 5 | Frankish | bara | bar, beam, barrier, fence |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | barō | beam, bar, barrier |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰerH- | to pierce; to strike; brown |
via Middle English barrere
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | barrere | A barricade or palisade protecting the gate to a city or castle or the entrance to a street |
via Middle English barryȝer
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | barryȝer | — |