Where does “Heortfordscir” come from?
Heortfordscir (Old English) comes from Old English Heorotford, from Old English heorot, from Old English ford, from Proto-West Germanic furdu, from Proto-Germanic furduz, from Proto-Indo-European pértus, from Proto-Indo-European per-, from Proto-Indo-European pr̥tós — passed , crossed.
Ancestry of “Heortfordscir”, step by step
Heortfordscir traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Old English Heorotford
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old English | Heorotford | Hertford |
| 2 | Old English | heorot | deer, stag |
| 3 | Old English | ford | ford |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | furdu | ford |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | furduz | ford |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | pértus | crossing |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | per- | before, in front; first; to go through |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | pr̥tós | passed , crossed |
via Old English sċīr
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old English | sċīr | bright; shire; county |
| 2 | Old English | burna | stream |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | brunnō | well, spring |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | brunnô | source; wellspring; fountain; brook; stream;... |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰréh₁wr̥ | well, spring, source |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰrewh₁- | to boil; to brew |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰer- | to bear, carry |