Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “hour” come from?

hour (Middle English) comes from Middle English houre, from Old French houre, from Latin hōra, from Ancient Greek ὥρα, from Proto-Hellenic *worā, from Proto-Indo-European wēr-, from Proto-Indo-European wer- — to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel.

hour (Middle English): Alternative form of houre; Alternative form of...

Definitions

  1. Alternative form of houre; Alternative form of...

Ancestry of “hour”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishhourehour; A time, occasion, or moment; A canonical...
2Old Frenchhourehour; time; moment to do something
3Latinhōra—
4Ancient Greekὥραany defined period of time; season; climate
5Proto-Hellenic*worā—
6Proto-Indo-Europeanwēr-true
7Proto-Indo-Europeanwer-to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel

Words derived from “hour”

  • hours
  • hour
  • hourly
  • hourglass
  • hourlong
  • multihour
  • hourless
  • hourglassing
  • hourslong
  • workhour
  • bihourly
  • nonhourly
  • hourglassed
  • subhourly
  • semihourly
  • half-hourly
  • supper hour
  • hourwise
  • hourplate
  • hoursworth
  • by-hour
  • kilohour
  • half-hour
  • half-hourlong
Every word from Proto-Indo-European wer- →