Where does “storefront” come from?
Storefront derives from English store and English front, with store from Middle English store, Old Norse stórr meaning large, and front from Latin frons meaning forehead or face.
storefront (English): The side of a store which faces the street;...
Definitions
- The side of a store which faces the street;...
Ancestry of “storefront”, step by step
storefront traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English front
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | front | The foremost side of something or the end that... |
| 2 | Middle English | front | Alternative form of frount |
| 3 | Old French | front | forehead; front |
| 4 | Latin | frōns | a leafy branch; foliage; greenery |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰron-t- | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰren- | project; to project; to stand out; to project;... |
via English store
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | store | A place where items may be accumulated or... |
| 2 | Middle English | store | supplies, provisions; livestock, farm animals;... |
| 3 | Old French | estor | battle; combat |
| 4 | Frankish | sturm | storm, commotion, battle; storm |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | sturmaz | storm |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)twer- | to rotate, swirl, twirl, move around; to turn... |