Where does “nether” come from?
Nether comes from Old English niþera, from Old English niþer, from Proto-Indo-European ni-, a prefix meaning below or down.
nether (English): Lower; under; Lying beneath, or conceived as...
Definitions
- Lower; under; Lying beneath, or conceived as...
Ancestry of “nether”, step by step
nether traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English nither
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | nither | Alternative form of nether |
| 2 | Middle English | nitheren | — |
| 3 | Old English | niþerian | to depress, abase, bring low, humiliate, oppress,... |
| 4 | Old English | niþer | down; downstairs |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | niþer | down, downwards |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | niter | — |
via Middle English nether
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | nether | — |
| 2 | Old English | niþera | lower, lowest, under; inferior |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | niþeraz | — |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | h₁én | in |
Words derived from “nether”