Where does “ford” come from?

Ford comes from Old English ford, from Proto-West Germanic furdu, from Proto-Germanic furduz, from Proto-Indo-European pértus, derived from the root per- meaning to lead or carry across.

ford (English): A location where a stream is shallow and the...

Definitions

  1. A location where a stream is shallow and the...

Ancestry of “ford”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishford—
2Old Englishfordford
3Proto-West Germanicfurduford
4Proto-Germanicfurduzford
5Proto-Indo-Europeanpértuscrossing
6Proto-Indo-Europeanper-before, in front; first; to go through
7Proto-Indo-Europeanpr̥tóspassed , crossed
Every word from Proto-Indo-European pr̥tós →Every word from Proto-Indo-European per- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European pértus →