Where does “undergird” come from?
Undergird comes from Middle English under- combined with Old English gyrdan, from Proto-Germanic *gurdanan, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European ǵʰer- meaning to enclose or bind.
undergird (English): To strengthen, secure, or reinforce by passing a...
Definitions
- To strengthen, secure, or reinforce by passing a...
Ancestry of “undergird”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | gird | To bind with a flexible rope or cord; To encircle... |
| 2 | Middle English | girden | to strike |
| 3 | Estonian | Kertu | Gertrude |
| 4 | German | Gertrud | — |
| 5 | Old High German | gēr | spear |
| 6 | Proto-West Germanic | gaiʀ | spear |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | gaizaz | spear, pike, javelin |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵʰoysós | throwing spear |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵʰey- | winter |