Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “rearguard” come from?

Rearguard comes from Middle English reren, from Old French rer, from Latin radere meaning to scratch or scrape, with the re- prefix from Proto-Indo-European rei-, wert-, and wer-.

rearguard (English): The rearmost part of a force, especially a...

Definitions

  1. The rearmost part of a force, especially a...

Ancestry of “rearguard”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishguardA person who, or thing that, protects or watches...
2Middle Englishgardeguardianship, safeguarding, covering, authority;...
3Old Frenchguardeprotection; act of protecting; guard; inflection...
4Old Frenchguarderto protect; to guard; to look at
5Frankishwardēnto protect; to guard, protect, watch over; to...
6Proto-Germanicwardānąto guard, protect, watch over
7Proto-Germanic*warduz—
8Proto-Indo-Europeanwēr-true
9Proto-Indo-Europeanwer-to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel
Every word from Proto-Indo-European wer- →