Etymograph

English

afar

Afar comes from Middle English fer ‘far, distant’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *per- ‘to cross, pass’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*per-‘to cross, pass’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*per-nóyreconstructed
  3. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*ferrai‘far’reconstructed
  4. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*ferrreconstructed
  5. Old Englishc. 450–1150feorr‘far’
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500fer‘far, distant’
  7. Middle English, derivedc. 1150–1500afer
  8. Englishtodayafar

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*per-‘to cross, pass’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*per-nóyreconstructed
  3. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*ferrai‘far’reconstructed
  4. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*ferrreconstructed
  5. Old Englishc. 450–1150feorr‘far’
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500fer‘far, distant’
  7. Middle English, derivedc. 1150–1500afer
  8. Englishtodayafar

Formed from a- ‘for, on, or of’ + far

Proto-Indo-European *uds- ‘up, out’

Proto-Germanic *uz- ‘out-’

Proto-West Germanic *uʀ- ‘up, out, over’

English a-

Proto-Indo-European *per- ‘to cross, pass’

Proto-Indo-European *per-nóy

Proto-Germanic *ferrai

Old English feor

Middle English ferre

English far

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *per- ‘to cross, pass’

first, before, support, per, report, further, price, private, press, practice, opportunity, pre, prior, prime, appreciate, port, primary, prize, pregnant, fear, ford, practical, forth, precious, praise, interpretation, privilege, ferry, pirate, parade, porch, primitive, prix, par, interpreter, pardon, pragmatic, privy, prism, proton, 157 more

through Proto-Germanic *ferrai ‘far’

far, 1 more

Today it means

adv At, to, or from a great distance; far away; distantly.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *per- / afar

Shirt and support for this word