Where does “dear” come from?

dear (Yola) comes from Middle English dere, from Old English dēore, from Proto-West Germanic diurī, from Proto-Germanic diurijaz, from Proto-Indo-European dʰegʷʰ- — to burn; warm, hot.

dear (Yola): dear

Definitions

  1. dear

Ancestry of “dear”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishderefierce, severe, hard, deadly
2Old Englishdēoredear
3Proto-West Germanicdiurīvaluable, precious
4Proto-Germanicdiurijazdear, precious; expensive
5Proto-Indo-Europeandʰegʷʰ-to burn; warm, hot
Every word from Proto-Indo-European dʰegʷʰ- →Every word from Proto-Germanic diurijaz →Every word from Proto-West Germanic diurī →