Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “fort” come from?

Fort comes from Middle French fort, from Old French fort, from Latin fortis meaning "strong," ultimately from Proto-Indo-European bʰerǵʰ- and bʰer-.

fort (English): A fortified defensive structure stationed with...

Definitions

  1. A fortified defensive structure stationed with...

Ancestry of “fort”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Frenchfortstrong
2Old Frenchfortstrong; strongly
3Latinfortisstrong, powerful; firm, resolute, steadfast,...
4Old Latinforctisstrong
5Proto-Italicforktisstrong, robust
6Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰerǵʰ-to rise; high, lofty; hill, mountain

Words derived from “fort”

  • ringfort
  • fortlet
  • fortlike
  • foto
Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰerǵʰ- →