Where does “Firmware” come from?
Firmware (German) comes from English firmware, from English firm, 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.
Firmware (German): firmware
Ancestry of “Firmware”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | firmware | Something in between hardware and software. Like... |
| 2 | English | firm | A business partnership; the name under which it... |
| 3 | Middle English | ferme | — |
| 4 | Old French | ferme | lease; the land leased; farm |
| 5 | Medieval Latin | ferma | Alternative form of firma |
| 6 | Latin | Firma | — |
| 7 | Latin | Firmus | — |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | fermos | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | dʰer-mo-s | holding |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | dʰer- | to support; to hold |