Where does “hereabouts” come from?
Hereabouts derives from English about combined with Old English hǣr, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European ḱe- and (s)ker-, with roots meaning to turn or move.
hereabouts (English): Near here
Definitions
- Near here
Ancestry of “hereabouts”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | hereabout | Close to; nearby |
| 2 | English | Here | In, on, or at this place (a place perceived to be close to the speaker); compare there |
| 3 | Middle English | hēr | a hair |
| 4 | Old English | hēr | at this place |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | *hēr | here |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | hē₂r | here, in this place |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱe | Deictic particle, here; Post-positional... |
| 8 | Middle English | kyt | — |
| 9 | German | kitt | putty certain kinds of cement used for fixing e.g. window panes |
| 10 | Old High German | kuti | — |
| 11 | Proto-West Germanic | kwidu | gum, resin |
| 12 | Proto-Germanic | kweduz | resin |
| 13 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷet- | resin, gum; to say, speak |
| 14 | Proto-Indo-European | gū- | to bend; curve; arch; vault; to bow, bend, arch,... |