Where does “windfirm” come from?
windfirm (English) comes from English wind, from English farm, from Middle English ferme, from Old French ferme, from Medieval Latin ferma, from Latin Firma, from Latin Firmus, from Proto-Italic fermos — to support; to hold.
windfirm (English): Able to resist being blown down by the wind
Definitions
- Able to resist being blown down by the wind
Ancestry of “windfirm”, step by step
windfirm traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English wind
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | wind | Real or perceived movement of atmospheric air... |
| 2 | English | farm | A place where agricultural and similar activities... |
| 3 | Middle English | ferme | A lease; the renting of land |
| 4 | Old French | ferme | lease; the land leased; farm |
| 5 | Medieval Latin | ferma | Alternative form of firma |
| 6 | Latin | Firma | tax, tribute |
| 7 | Latin | Firmus | strong, powerful |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | fermos | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | dʰer-mo-s | holding |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | dʰer- | to support; to hold |
via English firm
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | firm | A business partnership; the name under which it... |
| 2 | Italian | firma | signature; third-person singular present... |
| 3 | Italian | firmare | to sign |
| 4 | Latin | firmō | to make firm, strengthen, harden, fortify |
| 5 | Latin | -ō | suffixed to nouns or adjectives. Originally a-stem nouns. Later extended to nouns with other stems. Forms regular first-conjugation verbs |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | -ō | Derives nouns from roots |