Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “foreleg” come from?

Foreleg comes from English fore- plus leg, which derives from Middle English legge, Old Norse leggr, and Latin leuga, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European per-.

foreleg (English): Either of the two legs towards the front of a...

Definitions

  1. Either of the two legs towards the front of a...

Ancestry of “foreleg”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Englishfore-Positioned at or near the front; Before; ahead or...
2EnglishForeA people of Papua New Guinea
3GermanFahr—
4GermanFähreferry
5Middle High Germanverren—
6Old High Germanferranafrom afar
7Old High Germanferroafar; skipper
8Proto-West Germanic*ferrō—
9Proto-Germanicferraifar, distant
10Proto-Indo-Europeanper-nóy—
11Proto-Indo-Europeanper-before, in front; first; to go through
12Proto-Indo-Europeanpr̥tóspassed , crossed

Words derived from “foreleg”

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