Where does “Hereford” come from?
Hereford (Old English) comes from Old English sċīr, from Old English burna, from Proto-West Germanic brunnō, from Proto-Germanic brunnô, from Proto-Indo-European bʰréh₁wr̥, from Proto-Indo-European bʰrewh₁-, from Proto-Indo-European bʰer- — to bear, carry.
Ancestry of “Hereford”, step by step
Hereford traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
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 |
via Old English hēre
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old English | hēre | army, military (especially of the enemy) |
| 2 | Proto-West Germanic | hari | army |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | harjaz | army; army leader; commander; warrior |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | kóryos | war; troops; army; war, troops |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱer- | to grow, to make grow, to nourish; to plait,... |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | kr̥- | to turn, to bend |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | ker- | army |