Where does “Gefahr” come from?

Gefahr (German) comes from Middle High German gevāre, from Old High German fāra, from Proto-Germanic fērō, from Proto-Indo-European per-, from Proto-Indo-European pr̥tós — passed , crossed.

Gefahr (German): danger, hazard, peril, risk; threat

Definitions

  1. danger, hazard, peril, risk; threat

Ancestry of “Gefahr”, step by step

Gefahr traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Middle High German gevāre

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle High Germangevāredanger
2Old High Germanfāraambush, danger, deceit
3Proto-Germanicfērōdanger
4Proto-Indo-Europeanper-before, in front; first; to go through
5Proto-Indo-Europeanpr̥tóspassed , crossed

via Middle High German gevære

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle High Germangevære—
Every word from Proto-Indo-European pr̥tós →Every word from Proto-Indo-European per- →Every word from Proto-Germanic fērō →