Where does “feather” come from?

Feather comes from Middle English feþer, from Old English feþer, from Proto-West Germanic feþru, from Proto-Germanic feþrō, from Proto-Indo-European péth₂r̥, ultimately from the root peth₂-.

feather (English): A branching, hair-like structure that grows on...

Definitions

  1. A branching, hair-like structure that grows on...

Ancestry of “feather”, step by step

feather traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via German feder

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Germanfederfeather
2Middle High Germanvëderefeather
3Old High Germanfedarafeather
4Proto-West Germanicfeþrufeather
5Proto-Germanicfeþrōfeather
6Proto-Indo-Europeanpéth₂r̥wing; feather
7Proto-Indo-Europeanpeth₂-to spread out; to fly

via Old Frisian fethere

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Frisianfethere—
2Old Englishfeþera feather; a pen

Words derived from “feather”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European peth₂- →