Where does “arst” come from?
arst (Middle English) comes from Old English ǣrest, from Proto-Germanic airist, from Proto-Germanic airi, from Proto-Germanic airiz — earlier, before; comparative degree of *airi.
Ancestry of “arst”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old English | ǣrest | first, erst, at first, before all; earliest |
| 2 | Proto-Germanic | airist | earliest, at first; superlative degree of *airi |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | airi | early |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | airiz | earlier, before; comparative degree of *airi |