Where does “fever” come from?
Fever comes from Middle English fever, from Old English fefor, from Latin febris, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European dʰegʷʰ-.
fever (English): A higher than normal body temperature of a person...
Definitions
- A higher than normal body temperature of a person...
Ancestry of “fever”, step by step
fever traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English fever
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | fever | — |
| 2 | Old English | fefer | — |
| 3 | Latin | febris | fever |
| 4 | Proto-Italic | *feɣʷris | fever |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | dʰegʷʰris | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | dʰegʷʰ- | to burn; warm, hot |
via Old French fievre
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old French | fievre | fever |