Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “bearish” come from?

Bearish derives from English bear, Old English bere, and ultimately Proto-Indo-European bʰers-, meaning to carry or bear, with the suffix -isċ added to form the adjective.

bearish (English): Resembling or likened to a bear, typically in...

Definitions

  1. Resembling or likened to a bear, typically in...

Ancestry of “bearish”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishbearA large omnivorous mammal, related to the dog and...
2Middle Englishberebear; To pierce
3Old Englishberebarley; first-person singular present indicative...
4Old Englishtūnenclosure, yard; place; dwelling
5Proto-West Germanictūnfence
6Proto-Germanictūnąfence; enclosure
7Gaulishdunumfort; hill, hillfort
8Proto-Celticdūnomstronghold, rampart
9Proto-Indo-Europeandʰewh₂-smoke; mist, haze

Words derived from “bearish”

  • bearishness
  • bearishly
Every word from Proto-Indo-European dʰewh₂- →