Where does “firn” come from?

firn (German) comes from Alemannic German firn, from Old High German firni, from Proto-Germanic fernaz, from Proto-Indo-European perHm-, from Proto-Indo-European per-, from Proto-Indo-European pr̥tós — passed , crossed.

firn (German): aged

Definitions

  1. aged

Ancestry of “firn”, step by step

firn traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Alemannic German firn

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Alemannic Germanfirnlast year's
2Old High Germanfirniold
3Proto-Germanicfernazforegoing, previous; recent, last-year
4Proto-Indo-EuropeanperHm-—
5Proto-Indo-Europeanper-before, in front; first; to go through
6Proto-Indo-Europeanpr̥tóspassed , crossed

via Middle High German virne

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle High Germanvirne—

Words derived from “firn”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European pr̥tós →Every word from Proto-Indo-European per- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European perHm- →