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

Definitions

  1. First

Ancestry of “erst”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englisherste—
2Old Englishǣrestafirst
3Proto-Germanicairistearliest, at first; superlative degree of *airi
4Proto-Germanicairiearly
5Proto-Germanicairizearlier, before; comparative degree of *airi

Words derived from “erst”

Every word from Proto-Germanic airiz →