Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “bere” come from?

Bere derives from Old English bere, from Proto-Germanic baraz, from Proto-Indo-European bʰars-, itself from Proto-Indo-European bʰer-.

bere (English): Barley, especially four-rowed barley or six-rowed...

Definitions

  1. Barley, especially four-rowed barley or six-rowed...

Ancestry of “bere”, 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 “bere”

  • born
  • bear
  • bearing
  • borne
  • newborn
  • forbearance
  • unborn
  • forbear
  • reborn
  • firstborn
  • bearish
  • stillborn
  • beareth
  • bugbear
  • foodborne
  • bearskin
  • forborne
  • freeborn
  • seaborne
  • highborn
  • forebear
  • bearest
  • bloodborne
  • spaceborne
Every word from Proto-Indo-European dʰewh₂- →