Where does “farmyard” come from?
Farmyard comes from English farm, from Middle English ferme, from Old French ferme, from Latin firmus meaning "firm" or "stable," ultimately from Proto-Indo-European roots related to stability and support.
farmyard (English): The area around a farm, excluding the fields
Definitions
- The area around a farm, excluding the fields
Ancestry of “farmyard”, step by step
farmyard traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English Yard
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Yard | Scotland Yard or New Scotland Yard |
| 2 | English | milliard | 10, a thousand million |
| 3 | French | milliard | A milliard |
| 4 | French | million | million, 10 |
| 5 | Middle French | million | million, 10 |
| 6 | Old French | millon | — |
| 7 | Italian | milione | million |
| 8 | Italian | mille | thousand |
| 9 | Latin | Mīlle | thousand; 1000 |
| 10 | Proto-Italic | smīɣeslī | thousand |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | smih₂ǵʰéslih₂ | — |
via English farm
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | farm | A place where agricultural and similar activities... |
| 2 | Middle English | ferme | A lease; the renting of land |
| 3 | Old French | ferme | lease; the land leased; farm |
| 4 | Medieval Latin | ferma | Alternative form of firma |
| 5 | Latin | Firma | tax, tribute |
| 6 | Latin | Firmus | strong, powerful |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | fermos | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | dʰer-mo-s | holding |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | dʰer- | to support; to hold |