Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “beer” come from?

Beer comes from Middle English bere, from Old English bere, from Proto-Germanic baraz, from Proto-Indo-European bʰars-, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European bʰer-.

beer (English): An alcoholic drink fermented from starch...

Definitions

  1. An alcoholic drink fermented from starch...

Ancestry of “beer”, step by step

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

Words derived from “beer”

  • beery
  • beershop
  • beerless
  • beermaking
  • beerily
  • beeriness
  • beerlike
  • beermaker
  • nonbeer
  • beerish
  • microbeer
  • beerware
  • gruitbeer
  • beersicle
  • beermonger
  • beerocracy
  • beer-lore
  • beeregar
  • beerhead
  • beer pong
  • bia
  • 啤
  • బీరు
  • బీరుపోవు
Every word from Proto-Indo-European dʰewh₂- →