Etymology Explorer › Old English

Where does “bēr” come from?

bēr (Old English) comes from Proto-West Germanic bāru, from Proto-Germanic bērō, from Proto-Indo-European bʰēr- — shiny, light brown.

Ancestry of “bēr”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-West Germanicbārustretcher, bier
2Proto-Germanicbērōthat which bears or carries; stretcher, bier
3Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰēr-shiny, light brown

Words derived from “bēr”

  • born
  • bear
  • bearing
  • borne
  • beer
  • newborn
  • forbearance
  • unborn
  • forbear
  • reborn
  • firstborn
  • bier
  • bearish
  • stillborn
  • beareth
  • bugbear
  • foodborne
  • bearskin
  • forborne
  • freeborn
  • seaborne
  • highborn
  • bere
  • forebear
Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰēr- →