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
- 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
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | fier | Alternative form of figer |
| 2 | Old English | fȳr | fire |
| 3 | Old English | feor | Alternative form of feorr; far |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | ferrai | far, distant |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | per-nóy | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | per- | before, in front; first; to go through |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | pr̥tós | passed , crossed |