Where does “for-” come from?

for- (Old Dutch) comes from Proto-Germanic fra-, from Proto-Indo-European pro-, from Proto-Indo-European por-, from Proto-Indo-European per-, from Proto-Indo-European pr̥tós — passed , crossed.

Ancestry of “for-”, step by step

for- traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.

via Proto-Germanic fra-

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-Germanicfra-off, away; completely, fully, up
2Proto-Indo-Europeanpro-toward, forward
3Proto-Indo-Europeanpor-to give birth; forward, through; going, passage
4Proto-Indo-Europeanper-before, in front; first; to go through
5Proto-Indo-Europeanpr̥tóspassed , crossed

via Proto-Germanic firi-

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-Germanicfiri-around; through, across; expresses intensive or...
2Proto-Indo-Europeanper(i)through, across; leading across

via Proto-Germanic fur-

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-Germanicfur-for-
Every word from Proto-Indo-European pr̥tós →Every word from Proto-Indo-European per- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European por- →