Where does “hearth-penny” come from?
hearth-penny (English) comes from Middle English herthpeny, from Old English heorþpeniġ, from Old English heorþ, from Proto-West Germanic herþ, from Proto-Germanic herþaz, from Proto-Indo-European kérh₃-to-s, from Proto-Indo-European kerh₃- — to burn; to praise; to burn; fire, heat.
Ancestry of “hearth-penny”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | herthpeny | — |
| 2 | Old English | heorþpeniġ | — |
| 3 | Old English | heorþ | hearth |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | herþ | hearth, fireplace |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | herþaz | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | kérh₃-to-s | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | kerh₃- | to burn; to praise; to burn; fire, heat |