Etymology Explorer › German

Where does “farbe” come from?

farbe (German) comes from Middle High German varwe, from Old High German farawa, from Proto-West Germanic faru, from Proto-Germanic farwō, from Proto-Indo-European perḱ-, from Proto-Indo-European per-, from Proto-Indo-European pr̥tós — passed , crossed.

Ancestry of “farbe”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle High Germanvarwe—
2Old High Germanfarawacolour, blee; color
3Proto-West Germanicfarucolor; appearance; journey
4Proto-Germanicfarwōcolour
5Proto-Indo-Europeanperḱ-colored; motley; to open, rip up
6Proto-Indo-Europeanper-before, in front; first; to go through
7Proto-Indo-Europeanpr̥tóspassed , crossed

Words derived from “farbe”

  • Farber
  • Färber
Every word from Proto-Indo-European pr̥tós →