English
Derry
Derry comes from Irish Doire ‘oak grove’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *dóru ‘tree’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dóru‘tree’reconstructed
- Proto-Celticc. 1300–800 BCE*daru‘oak’reconstructed
- Old Irishc. 600–900daire‘oak forest’
- Irishc. 1200–presentDoire‘oak grove’
- Englishearliest quotation 1973Derry
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dóru‘tree’reconstructed
- Proto-Celticc. 1300–800 BCE*daru‘oak’reconstructed
- Old Irishc. 600–900daire‘oak forest’
- Irishc. 1200–presentDoire‘oak grove’
- Englishearliest quotation 1973Derry
Earliest quotation: 1973, Phil Coulter, The Town I Loved So Well: “There was music there in the Derry air /…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *dóru ‘tree’
tree, trough, druid, dinghy, dory, larch, dendritic, dendrite, 5 more
Today it means
name A city in northwestern Northern Ireland; also known as Londonderry.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *dóru / Derry