Where does “tier” come from?
tier (Middle French) comes from Old French tire, from Latin tyrius, from Latin Tyrus, from Ancient Greek τυρός, from Proto-Hellenic tūrós, from Proto-Indo-European tuh₂-ró-s, from Proto-Indo-European tewh₂- — to swell; to crowd; to be strong.
Ancestry of “tier”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old French | tire | rank, sequence, order, kind; row; oriental cloth... |
| 2 | Latin | tyrius | Tyrian, of Tyre |
| 3 | Latin | Tyrus | Tyre |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | τυρός | cheese |
| 5 | Proto-Hellenic | tūrós | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | tuh₂-ró-s | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | tewh₂- | to swell; to crowd; to be strong |