Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “berg” come from?

berg (Middle English) comes from Old English gebeorg, from Old English ġē, from Proto-Germanic jahw, from Proto-Germanic -hw, from Proto-Germanic -hwe, from Proto-Indo-European -kʷe — and; Forms distributives from interrogatives.

berg (Middle English): protection, shelter; guardian, watchman

Definitions

  1. protection, shelter; guardian, watchman

Ancestry of “berg”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishgebeorga mountain, hill, barrow; defense, protection,...
2Old Englishġēye
3Proto-Germanicjahwand, also
4Proto-Germanic-hwand; Forms distributives from interrogatives
5Proto-Germanic-hwe—
6Proto-Indo-European-kʷeand; Forms distributives from interrogatives
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -kʷe →