Where does “borderland” come from?
Borderland comes from English border and land, with land deriving from Middle English lond, Old English land, and Proto-Indo-European lendʰ- meaning to stretch or extend.
borderland (English): land near a border; marches
Definitions
- land near a border; marches
Ancestry of “borderland”, step by step
borderland traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English border
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | border | The outer edge of something; A decorative strip... |
| 2 | Middle English | bordure | An edge, boundary, demarcation; A heraldic... |
| 3 | Old French | bordeure | — |
| 4 | Old French | border | to border |
| 5 | Frankish | bord | plank, board; side of a ship or vessel; board,... |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | burdą | board, plank; table |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰers- | top, tip, point |