Where does “fire” come from?

Fire comes from Middle English fier, Old English fȳr, Proto-Germanic fōr, and Proto-Indo-European péh₂wr̥, the root for fire or burning.

fire (English): A chemical reaction involving the bonding of...

Definitions

  1. A chemical reaction involving the bonding of...

Ancestry of “fire”, step by step

fire traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Middle English fier

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishfierAlternative form of figer
2Old Englishfȳrfire
3Old EnglishfeorAlternative form of feorr; far
4Proto-Germanicferraifar, distant
5Proto-Indo-Europeanper-nóy—
6Proto-Indo-Europeanper-before, in front; first; to go through
7Proto-Indo-Europeanpr̥tóspassed , crossed

via Middle English firen

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishfiren—
2Old Englishfȳrianto make a fire

Words derived from “fire”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European pr̥tós →Every word from Proto-Indo-European per- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European per-nóy →