Where does “for” come from?

for (Old Frisian) comes from Proto-West Germanic furi, from Proto-Germanic furi, from Proto-Indo-European preh₂-, from Proto-Indo-European per-, from Proto-Indo-European pr̥tós — passed , crossed.

Ancestry of “for”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-West Germanicfurifor; before; forward
2Proto-Germanicfurifor, before; before, forward
3Proto-Indo-Europeanpreh₂-before, in front
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 preh₂- →
for — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer