Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “newborn” come from?

Newborn comes from English new and English bear, tracing through Proto-Germanic niwjaz and bʰer-, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European népōts and bʰer-, meaning "newly carried."

newborn (English): recently born; born anew, reborn; A recently born...

Definitions

  1. recently born; born anew, reborn; A recently born...

Ancestry of “newborn”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishNew—
2EnglishMANInitialism of Metropolitan Area Network
3Middle EnglishmanTypically singular, indefinite pronoun: one, you;...
4Old Englishmānbad, criminal, false; shameful act; crime;...
5Sanskritमहादेव—
6Sanskritमहाcombining form of महत्; buffalo; great, large,...
7Sanskritमहायान—
8Sanskritयानcarriage, vehicle, mode of transport; moving,...
9Proto-Indo-AryanyáHnam—
10Proto-Indo-IranianyáHnam—
11Proto-Indo-Europeanyéh₂-nom—
12Proto-Indo-Europeanyeh₂-to go; to go in, enter; to ride, to travel
Every word from Proto-Indo-European yeh₂- →