Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “fir” come from?

Fir comes from Middle English firre, from Old Norse fýri, from Proto-Germanic furhiją, from Proto-Indo-European perkʷ-.

fir (English): A conifer of the genus "Abies"; Any pinaceous...

Definitions

  1. A conifer of the genus "Abies"; Any pinaceous...

Ancestry of “fir”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishfirre—
2Old Englishfyrhfir, pine
3Proto-Germanicfurhufir; pine
4Proto-Germanicfurhōfir; pine; forest
5Proto-Indo-Europeanpérkusoak
6Proto-Indo-Europeanperkʷ-oak

Words derived from “fir”

  • firwood
  • firtree
  • firry
  • jointfir
  • firbound
  • firless
  • firmoss
  • firlike
Every word from Proto-Indo-European perkʷ- →