Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “fordable” come from?

Fordable comes from Middle English -able, Old French -able, Latin -abilis, combining Latin -i- with a root from Proto-Indo-European pértus, derived from Proto-Indo-European per- meaning to lead or pass through.

fordable (English): Able to be forded

Definitions

  1. Able to be forded

Ancestry of “fordable”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishFordA make of car, named for Henry Ford
2Old Englishfordford
3Proto-West Germanicfurduford
4Proto-Germanicfurduzford
5Proto-Indo-Europeanpértuscrossing
6Proto-Indo-Europeanper-before, in front; first; to go through
7Proto-Indo-Europeanpr̥tóspassed , crossed

Words derived from “fordable”

  • unfordable
Every word from Proto-Indo-European pr̥tós →