Where does “ærfæder” come from?
ærfæder (Old English) comes from Old English ǣr, from Old English dēaþ, from Old English wīc, from German witz, from Middle High German witz, from Old High German wizzi, from Proto-West Germanic wītī, from Proto-Germanic witją — to see.
ærfæder (Old English): forefather
Definitions
- forefather
Ancestry of “ærfæder”, step by step
ærfæder traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Old English ǣr
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old English | ǣr | ere, before |
| 2 | Old English | dēaþ | death |
| 3 | Old English | wīc | dwelling place, abode; abode, dwelling-place;... |
| 4 | German | witz | joke |
| 5 | Middle High German | witz | — |
| 6 | Old High German | wizzi | — |
| 7 | Proto-West Germanic | wītī | punishment |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | witją | knowledge; reason; sense; understanding; wit |
| 9 | Proto-Germanic | *witaną | — |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | wóyde | to have seen, to know |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | weyd- | to see |