Where does “firearm” come from?
Firearm comes from English fire and Middle English arm, from Old English earm, Proto-Germanic armaz, Latin arma meaning weapons, and Proto-Indo-European h₂er-.
firearm (English): A personal weapon that uses explosive powder to...
Definitions
- A personal weapon that uses explosive powder to...
Ancestry of “firearm”, step by step
firearm traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English fire
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | fire | A chemical reaction involving the bonding of... |
| 2 | Middle English | fier | Alternative form of figer |
| 3 | Old English | fȳr | fire |
| 4 | Old English | feor | Alternative form of feorr; far |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | ferrai | far, distant |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | per-nóy | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | per- | before, in front; first; to go through |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | pr̥tós | passed , crossed |
via English Arm
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Arm | Abbreviation of Armenian |
| 2 | Middle English | arm | arm; poor; miserable, wretched |
| 3 | Old English | earm | arm; poor, miserable |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | arm | arm; poor, miserable; pitiful, pitiable |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | armaz | arm; poor, miserable; pitiful, pitiable |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂ermos | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂er- | to fit, to fix, to put together |