Where does “for-” come from?
for- (Middle English) comes from Old English for-, from Proto-Germanic fra-, from Proto-Indo-European pro-, from Proto-Indo-European por-, from Proto-Indo-European per-, from Proto-Indo-European pr̥tós — passed , crossed.
for- (Middle English): for
Definitions
- for
Ancestry of “for-”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old English | for- | wrongly, away from, astray, abstention,... |
| 2 | Proto-Germanic | fra- | off, away; completely, fully, up |
| 3 | Proto-Indo-European | pro- | toward, forward |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | por- | to give birth; forward, through; going, passage |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | per- | before, in front; first; to go through |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | pr̥tós | passed , crossed |