Where does “brain” come from?
brain (Old Irish) comes from Old Irish bran, from Primitive Irish ᚁᚏᚐᚅᚔ, from Proto-Celtic branos, from Proto-Indo-European werneh₂-, from Proto-Indo-European wer- — to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel.
brain (Old Irish): inflection of bran:
## vocative/genitive...
Definitions
- inflection of bran:
## vocative/genitive...
Ancestry of “brain”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old Irish | bran | raven |
| 2 | Primitive Irish | ᚁᚏᚐᚅᚔ | — |
| 3 | Proto-Celtic | branos | crow, raven |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | werneh₂- | crow |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | wer- | to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel |