Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “Derbyschire” come from?

Derbyschire (Middle English) comes from Old English Deorbyscir, from Old English Dēorbȳ, from Old Norse Djúra-bý, from Old Norse dýr, from Proto-Norse *ᛞᛖᚢᛉᚨ, from Proto-Germanic deuzą, from Proto-Indo-European dʰewsóm, from Proto-Indo-European dʰéws — to breathe; breath; spirit, soul > creature.

Ancestry of “Derbyschire”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old EnglishDeorbyscir—
2Old EnglishDēorbȳ—
3Old NorseDjúra-bý—
4Old Norsedýranimal
5Proto-Norse*ᛞᛖᚢᛉᚨ—
6Proto-Germanicdeuząanimal, beast
7Proto-Indo-Europeandʰewsómliving thing
8Proto-Indo-Europeandʰéwsbreath
9Proto-Indo-Europeandʰwes-to breathe; breath; spirit, soul > creature
Every word from Proto-Indo-European dʰwes- →