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
Ancestry of “firn”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Alemannic German | firn | last year's |
| 2 | Old High German | firni | old |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | fernaz | foregoing, previous; recent, last-year |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | perHm- | — |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | per- | before, in front; first; to go through |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | pr̥tós | passed , crossed |