Where does “før” come from?

før (Norwegian Bokmål) comes from Old Norse fóðr, from Middle Low German vōder, from Proto-Germanic fōdrą, from Proto-Germanic fōdô, from Proto-Indo-European pat- — to feed; path; to go.

før (Norwegian Bokmål): before; imperative of føre; present tense of fø

Definitions

  1. before; imperative of føre; present tense of fø

Ancestry of “før”, step by step

før traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Old Norse fóðr

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Norsefóðrfodder; sheath
2Middle Low Germanvōderlinen, sheath; sheath, linen
3Proto-Germanicfōdrąfodder; sheath
4Proto-Germanicfōdôfood, nourishment
5Proto-Indo-Europeanpat-to feed; path; to go

via Old Norse fýrr

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Norsefýrrbefore, sooner
2Proto-Germanicfurifor, before; before, forward
3Proto-Indo-Europeanpreh₂-before, in front
4Proto-Indo-Europeanper-before, in front; first; to go through
5Proto-Indo-Europeanpr̥tóspassed , crossed

Words derived from “før”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European pat- →Every word from Proto-Germanic fōdô →Every word from Proto-Germanic fōdrą →