Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “fired” come from?

Fired derives from Middle English -ed, Old English -od, and Proto-Germanic -ōdaz, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European péh₂wr̥ meaning fire, combined with the Proto-Indo-European past participle suffix -tós.

fired (English): dismissed, let go from a job; Heated in a...

Definitions

  1. dismissed, let go from a job; Heated in a...

Ancestry of “fired”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishfireA chemical reaction involving the bonding of...
2Middle EnglishfierAlternative form of figer
3Old Englishfȳrfire
4Old EnglishfeorAlternative form of feorr; far
5Proto-Germanicferraifar, distant
6Proto-Indo-Europeanper-nóy—
7Proto-Indo-Europeanper-before, in front; first; to go through
8Proto-Indo-Europeanpr̥tóspassed , crossed

Words derived from “fired”

  • unfired
  • coalfired
  • woodfired
  • underfired
  • overfired
  • nonfired
Every word from Proto-Indo-European pr̥tós →