Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “fermely” come from?

fermely (Middle English) comes from Middle English ferme, from Old French ferme, from Medieval Latin ferma, from Latin Firma, from Latin Firmus, from Proto-Italic fermos, from Proto-Indo-European dʰer-mo-s, from Proto-Indo-European dʰer- — to support; to hold.

Ancestry of “fermely”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishferme—
2Old Frenchfermelease; the land leased; farm
3Medieval LatinfermaAlternative form of firma
4LatinFirma—
5LatinFirmus—
6Proto-Italicfermos—
7Proto-Indo-Europeandʰer-mo-sholding
8Proto-Indo-Europeandʰer-to support; to hold
Every word from Proto-Indo-European dʰer- →