English
beard
Beard comes from Middle English berd, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *bʰardʰéh₂.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰardʰéh₂reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*bardazreconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*bardreconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150beard
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500berd
- Englishearliest quotation 1765beard
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰardʰéh₂reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*bardazreconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*bardreconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150beard
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500berd
- Englishearliest quotation 1765beard
Earliest quotation: 1765, Horace Walpole: “Am I to be bearded in my own castle…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *bʰers- ‘top, tip, point’
far, brush, prod, braid, bristle, fash, borscht, farro, 16 more
Today it means
noun Facial hair on the chin, cheeks, jaw and neck.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *bʰardʰéh₂ / beard