Where does “for-” come from?

for- (Old English) 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.

for- (Old English): wrongly, away from, astray, abstention,...

Definitions

  1. wrongly, away from, astray, abstention,...

Ancestry of “for-”, step by step

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

Words derived from “for-”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European pr̥tós →Every word from Proto-Indo-European per- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European por- →