Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “fyrst” come from?

fyrst (English) comes from English first, from Middle English ferst, from Old English fyrest, from Proto-Germanic furist, from Proto-Germanic furistaz, from Proto-Germanic furi, from Proto-Indo-European preh₂-, from Proto-Indo-European per- — passed , crossed.

fyrst (English): Obsolete spelling of first

Definitions

  1. Obsolete spelling of first

Ancestry of “fyrst”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishfirstPreceding all others of a series or kind; the...
2Middle Englishferst—
3Old Englishfyrestfirst
4Proto-Germanicfuristat first, firstly, in the first place
5Proto-Germanicfuristazfirst, foremost
6Proto-Germanicfurifor, before; before, forward
7Proto-Indo-Europeanpreh₂-before, in front
8Proto-Indo-Europeanper-before, in front; first; to go through
9Proto-Indo-Europeanpr̥tóspassed , crossed
Every word from Proto-Indo-European pr̥tós →