Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “retriever” come from?

Retriever comes from English retrieve, from French retrouver, from Latin retroāre, from Latin -ārius, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European wer- meaning to turn or bend.

retriever (English): One who retrieves something; A type of gun dog...

Definitions

  1. One who retrieves something; A type of gun dog...

Ancestry of “retriever”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishretrieveTo regain or get back something; To rescue; To...
2Middle Frenchretruev-—
3Old Frenchretrover—
4Old Frenchre-re-
5Latinrĕ-—
6Latinprōdūcō—
7Latinprō-—
8Proto-Italic*pro-—
9Proto-Indo-Europeanpro-toward, forward
10Proto-Indo-Europeanpor-to give birth; forward, through; going, passage
11Proto-Indo-Europeanper-before, in front; first; to go through
12Proto-Indo-Europeanpr̥tóspassed , crossed
Every word from Proto-Indo-European pr̥tós →