Where does “ere” come from?
ere (English) comes from Middle English er, from Old English ǣr, from Old English dēaþ, from Old English wīc, from German witz, from Middle High German witz, from Old High German wizzi, from Proto-West Germanic wītī — to see.
Ancestry of “ere”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | er | Alternative form of hire; Alternative form of... |
| 2 | Old English | ǣr | ere, before |
| 3 | Old English | dēaþ | death |
| 4 | Old English | wīc | dwelling place, abode; abode, dwelling-place;... |
| 5 | German | witz | joke |
| 6 | Middle High German | witz | — |
| 7 | Old High German | wizzi | — |
| 8 | Proto-West Germanic | wītī | punishment |
| 9 | Proto-Germanic | witją | knowledge; reason; sense; understanding; wit |
| 10 | Proto-Germanic | *witaną | — |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | wóyde | to have seen, to know |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | weyd- | to see |