Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “harbor” come from?

Harbor comes from Middle English herber, from Old English herebeorg, from Proto-West Germanic harjabergu, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European roots ker- and bʰerǵʰ- meaning army and to protect.

harbor (English): Any place of shelter; A sheltered expanse of...

Definitions

  1. Any place of shelter; A sheltered expanse of...

Ancestry of “harbor”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishherberwen—
2Old Englishherebeorgianto shelter
3Old English-ianForms verbs from nouns and adjectives
4Old English-ōjan—
5Proto-West Germanic-ōnCreates denominative verbs from nouns; Creates...
6Proto-Germanic-ōnąCreates denominative verbs from nouns; Creates...
7Proto-Indo-European-eh₂yétiCreates iterative/ frequentative/ intensive...
8Proto-Indo-European-yétiCreates intransitive, often deponent,...
9Proto-Indo-Europeanyé-—
10Chichewaiyehe, she

Words derived from “harbor”

  • harbormaster
  • harborage
  • harborside
  • harborless
  • harborfront
  • harborer
  • harborscape
  • unharbor
  • outharbor
  • harbormistress
  • harbourscape
  • harbor
  • harbat
  • aba
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