Where does “-ard” come from?
-ard (Middle English) comes from Old French -ard, from Frankish -hard, from Proto-Germanic harduz, from Proto-Indo-European kert-, from Proto-Turkic *keŕ-.
Ancestry of “-ard”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old French | -ard | pejorative agent noun |
| 2 | Frankish | -hard | hardy, bold |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | harduz | hard; brave |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | kert- | times; to weave, twist together; time |
| 5 | Proto-Turkic | *keŕ- | — |
Words derived from “-ard”