Where does “fireplace” come from?
Fireplace comes from Middle English fireplace, from Old French fire and place, with place deriving from Latin platea, Ancient Greek πλατεῖα (broad street), πλατύς (broad), and Proto-Indo-European plat- and pelh₂-.
fireplace (English): An open hearth for holding a fire at the base of...
Definitions
- An open hearth for holding a fire at the base of...
Ancestry of “fireplace”, step by step
fireplace 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 place
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | place | An area; somewhere within an area; A location or... |
| 2 | Middle English | place | A place, area or spot; a part of the Earth or universe |
| 3 | Old French | place | place; location |
| 4 | Latin | platēa | broad way, street |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | πλατεῖα | feminine nominative singular of πλατύς; feminine... |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | πλατύς | wide, broad; flat, level; broad-shouldered |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | pléth₂us | flat, broad |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | pleth₂- | flat |