Where does “feþer” come from?

feþer (Middle English) comes from Old English feþer, from Proto-West Germanic feþru, from Proto-Germanic feþrō, from Proto-Indo-European péth₂r̥, from Proto-Indo-European peth₂- — to spread out; to fly.

feþer (Middle English): a feather

Definitions

  1. a feather

Ancestry of “feþer”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishfeþera feather; a pen
2Proto-West Germanicfeþrufeather
3Proto-Germanicfeþrōfeather
4Proto-Indo-Europeanpéth₂r̥wing; feather
5Proto-Indo-Europeanpeth₂-to spread out; to fly
Every word from Proto-Indo-European peth₂- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European péth₂r̥ →Every word from Proto-Germanic feþrō →