Where does “fermor” come from?
fermor (Middle English) comes from Old English feormere, from Old English feormian, from Old English -ian, from Old English -ōjan, from Proto-West Germanic -ōn, from Proto-Germanic -ōną, from Proto-Indo-European -eh₂yéti, from Proto-Indo-European -yéti — he, she.
Ancestry of “fermor”, step by step
fermor traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Old English feormere
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old English | feormere | one who supplies with food, purveyor, grocer,... |
| 2 | Old English | feormian | to cleanse, scour, furbish; to entertain,... |
| 3 | Old English | -ian | Forms verbs from nouns and adjectives |
| 4 | Old English | -ōjan | — |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | -ōn | Creates denominative verbs from nouns; Creates... |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | -ōną | Creates denominative verbs from nouns; Creates... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -eh₂yéti | Creates iterative/ frequentative/ intensive... |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -yéti | Creates intransitive, often deponent,... |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | yé- | — |
| 10 | Chichewa | iye | he, she |
via Old French fermier
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old French | fermier | a farmer, a lessee, husbandman, bailliff |
| 2 | Medieval Latin | firmarius | one to whom land is rented, a collector of taxes,... |
| 3 | Latin | Firma | tax, tribute |
| 4 | Latin | Firmus | strong, powerful |
| 5 | Proto-Italic | fermos | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | dʰer-mo-s | holding |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | dʰer- | to support; to hold |