Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “firecracker” come from?

Firecracker comes from English fire and English crack, from Old English fȳr and Old English cracian, both ultimately deriving from Proto-Indo-European ger-.

firecracker (English): A small explosive device, typically containing a...

Definitions

  1. A small explosive device, typically containing a...

Ancestry of “firecracker”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishcrackerA dry, thin, crispy baked bread; A short piece of...
2EnglishcrakerOne who boasts; a braggart
3Englishcrockera potter
4English-erA person or thing that does an action indicated...
5Middle English-eragentive suffix; agent noun suffix
6Old French-erAlternative form of -ier, verbal suffix;...
7Latin-āre—
8Proto-Italic-āōForms primarily denominative verbs
9Proto-Indo-European-eh₂yétiCreates iterative/ frequentative/ intensive...
10Proto-Indo-European-yétiCreates intransitive, often deponent,...
11Proto-Indo-Europeanyé-—
12Chichewaiyehe, she
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