Where does “for” come from?
for (Old Swedish) comes from Proto-Germanic furai, from Proto-Indo-European preh₂-, from Proto-Indo-European per-, from Proto-Indo-European pr̥tós — passed , crossed.
Ancestry of “for”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Proto-Germanic | furai | before, in front of; before, in front |
| 2 | Proto-Indo-European | preh₂- | before, in front |
| 3 | Proto-Indo-European | per- | before, in front; first; to go through |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | pr̥tós | passed , crossed |