Where does “headfire” come from?

headfire (English) comes from English fire, from Middle English fier, from Old English fȳr, from Old English feor, from Proto-Germanic ferrai, from Proto-Indo-European per-nóy, from Proto-Indo-European per-, from Proto-Indo-European pr̥tós — passed , crossed.

headfire (English): A smaller fire moving in front of a larger one spread by the wind

Definitions

  1. A smaller fire moving in front of a larger one spread by the wind

Ancestry of “headfire”, step by step

headfire traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English fire

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishfireA chemical reaction involving the bonding of...
2Middle EnglishfierAlternative form of figer
3Old Englishfȳrfire
4Old EnglishfeorAlternative form of feorr; far
5Proto-Germanicferraifar, distant
6Proto-Indo-Europeanper-nóy
7Proto-Indo-Europeanper-before, in front; first; to go through
8Proto-Indo-Europeanpr̥tóspassed , crossed

via English head

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishheadThe part of the body of an animal or human which...
2English-yAdded to nouns and adjectives to form adjectives...
3Middle English-yDesignates an adjective, in many cases formed by...
4Old English-iġ-y, -ic
5Proto-West Germanic-gForms adjectives from nouns and verbs with a...
6Proto-Germanic-gaz-y
7Proto-Indo-European-ḱos-y, -ic
Every word from Proto-Indo-European pr̥tós
headfire — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer