Etymology Explorer › Old Danish

Where does “bro” come from?

bro (Old Danish) comes from Old East Norse brō, from Proto-Germanic brōwō, from Proto-Indo-European bʰruh- — beam; bridge; beam, bridge.

Ancestry of “bro”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old East Norsebrō—
2Proto-Germanicbrōwōbridge; brow
3Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰruh-beam; bridge; beam, bridge
Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰruh- →