Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “firestorm” come from?

Firestorm comes from English fire and Middle English storm, which derive from Old English fȳr and Proto-Germanic sturmaz, ultimately tracing to Proto-Indo-European (s)twer- and péh₂wr̥.

firestorm (English): A fire whose intensity is greatly increased by...

Definitions

  1. A fire whose intensity is greatly increased by...

Ancestry of “firestorm”, 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
Every word from Proto-Indo-European pr̥tós →