Where does “hair” come from?
Hair comes from Middle English her, from Old English hǣr, from Anglo-Norman eir, tracing back through Proto-Indo-European roots including ker- meaning to grow or extend.
hair (English): A pigmented filament of keratin which grows from...
Definitions
- A pigmented filament of keratin which grows from...
Ancestry of “hair”, step by step
hair traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English her
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | her | a hair; hair; pelt, hide, animal skin |
| 2 | Old English | hēr | at this place |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | *hēr | here |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | hē₂r | here, in this place |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱe | Deictic particle, here; Post-positional... |
| 6 | Middle English | kyt | — |
| 7 | German | kitt | putty certain kinds of cement used for fixing e.g. window panes |
| 8 | Old High German | kuti | — |
| 9 | Proto-West Germanic | kwidu | gum, resin |
| 10 | Proto-Germanic | kweduz | resin |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷet- | resin, gum; to say, speak |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | gū- | to bend; curve; arch; vault; to bow, bend, arch,... |
via Middle English heer
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | heer | A hair |
via Middle English hær
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | hær | Alternative form of her |