Where does “for” come from?

for (Middle Irish) comes from Old Irish for, from Proto-Celtic *uɸer, from Proto-Indo-European upér, from Proto-Indo-European upó, from Proto-Indo-European h₃ewp-.

for (Middle Irish): on, over

Definitions

  1. on, over

Ancestry of “for”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Irishforyour; you; For quotations using this term, see...
2Proto-Celtic*uɸeron, over, above
3Proto-Indo-Europeanupérabove; over
4Proto-Indo-Europeanupóunder, below
5Proto-Indo-Europeanh₃ewp-—
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₃ewp- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European upó →Every word from Proto-Indo-European upér →