Etymograph

English

bear

Bear comes from Middle English bere ‘a bear’, and goes back to Proto-Germanic *berô.

  1. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*berôreconstructed
  2. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*berōreconstructed
  3. Old Englishc. 450–1150bera
  4. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500bere‘a bear’
  5. Englishearliest quotation 1791bear

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*berôreconstructed
  2. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*berōreconstructed
  3. Old Englishc. 450–1150bera
  4. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500bere‘a bear’
  5. Englishearliest quotation 1791bear

Earliest quotation: 1791, James Boswell: “One evening about this time, when his Lordship did…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰwer- ‘wild’

ferocious, treacle, 10 more

through Middle English bere ‘a bear’

bere, 1 more

Another origin of bear

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰer-‘to bear, carry’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰéreti‘to be carrying’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*beraną‘to carry, to bear’reconstructed
  4. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*beran‘to carry, to bear’reconstructed
  5. Old Englishc. 450–1150beran‘to carry, bear, bring’
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500beren‘carry, bring forth’
  7. Englishtodaybear

Another origin of bear

  1. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500bere‘pillowcase’
  2. Englishtodaybear

From Middle English bere (‘pillowcase’), of obscure origin, but compare Old English hlēorbera (‘cheek-cover’).uncertain The source flags this step as uncertain. Possibly cognate to Low German büre, whence German Bühre, which in turn has been compared to French bure.

Today it means

noun A large, generally omnivorous mammal (a few species are purely carnivorous or herbivorous) of the family Ursidae; having shaggy fur, a very small tail, and flat feet.

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

Etymograph / Proto-Germanic *berô / bear

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