Where does “beer” come from?
beer (Middle English) comes from Old English bēr, from Proto-West Germanic bāru, from Proto-Germanic bērō, from Proto-Indo-European bʰēr- — shiny, light brown.
Ancestry of “beer”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old English | bēr | — |
| 2 | Proto-West Germanic | bāru | stretcher, bier |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | bērō | that which bears or carries; stretcher, bier |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰēr- | shiny, light brown |
Words derived from “beer”