Where does “forefæder” come from?
forefæder (Old English) comes from Old English fæder, from Proto-West Germanic fader, from Proto-Germanic fadēr, from Proto-Indo-European ph₂tḗr, from Proto-Indo-European peh₂- — to protect; to shepherd.
Ancestry of “forefæder”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old English | fæder | father |
| 2 | Proto-West Germanic | fader | father |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | fadēr | father |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | ph₂tḗr | father |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | peh₂- | to protect; to shepherd |