Where does “beer” come from?
beer (Middle Dutch) comes from Old Dutch bero, from Proto-West Germanic berō, from Proto-Germanic berô, from Proto-Indo-European bʰerH- — to pierce; to strike; brown.
Ancestry of “beer”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old Dutch | bero | — |
| 2 | Proto-West Germanic | berō | bear |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | berô | bear |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰerH- | to pierce; to strike; brown |