Where does “boring” come from?
boring (Malay) comes from English boring, from Middle English boryng, from Middle English boren, from Old English boren, from Old English beran, from Proto-West Germanic beran, from Proto-Germanic beraną, from Proto-Indo-European bʰéreti — shiny, light brown.
Ancestry of “boring”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | boring | A pit or hole which has been bored; Fragments... |
| 2 | Middle English | boryng | boring |
| 3 | Middle English | boren | — |
| 4 | Old English | boren | past participle of beran; born |
| 5 | Old English | beran | to carry, bear; to wear; to sustain, support |
| 6 | Proto-West Germanic | beran | to carry, to bear |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | beraną | to carry, to bear |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰéreti | to be carrying |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰēr- | shiny, light brown |