Where does “erst” come from?
Erst derives from Middle English erste, from Old English ǣresta, from Proto-Germanic airist, from Proto-Germanic airi, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European roots -istHos, -tós, and -yoss.
erst (English): First; First of all, before; Sooner ; before
Definitions
- First; First of all, before; Sooner ; before
Ancestry of “erst”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | erste | — |
| 2 | Old English | ǣresta | first |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | airist | earliest, at first; superlative degree of *airi |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | airi | early |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | airiz | earlier, before; comparative degree of *airi |
Words derived from “erst”