Where does “hard” come from?

Hard derives from Middle English hard, from Old English heard, from Proto-Germanic harduz, from Proto-Indo-European kert-.

hard (English): Having a severe property; presenting difficulty;...

Definitions

  1. Having a severe property; presenting difficulty;...

Ancestry of “hard”, step by step

hard traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Old French hardi

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Frenchhardihardy; tough; durable
2Old Frenchhardirto harden
3Frankishhardijanto harden, to make hard
4Proto-Germanichardijanąto make hard, strong; to harden
5Proto-Germanicharduzhard; brave
6Proto-Indo-Europeankert-times; to weave, twist together; time
7Proto-Turkic*keŕ-to travel, tour

via Middle English hard

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishhardhard
2Old Englishheardhard, harsh, austere, severe, rigorous, stern,...
3Proto-West Germanichard(ī)hard

Words derived from “hard”

Every word from Proto-Turkic *keŕ- →