Etymograph

English

bore

Bore comes from Old English borian ‘to pierce’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *bʰerH-.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰerH-‘to pierce’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*burōną‘to drill, pierce’reconstructed
  3. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*borōn‘to drill, pierce’reconstructed
  4. Old Englishc. 450–1150borian‘to pierce’
  5. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500boren
  6. Englishearliest quotation c. 1595–1596bore

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰerH-‘to pierce’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*burōną‘to drill, pierce’reconstructed
  3. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*borōn‘to drill, pierce’reconstructed
  4. Old Englishc. 450–1150borian‘to pierce’
  5. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500boren
  6. Englishearliest quotation c. 1595–1596bore

Earliest quotation: c. 1595–1596, William Shakespeare, A Midsommer Nights Dreame: “I'll believe as soon this whole earth may be…”

The story

Sense of wearying may come from a figurative use such as "to bore the ears"; compare German drillen.

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *bʰerH- ‘to pierce’

brown, bone, berry, interfere, beaver, brunette, bruin, burnish, 12 more

through Middle English boren

boring, borne

Another origin of bore

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰer-‘to bear’uncertain
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*bērō‘that which bears or carries’uncertain
  3. Old Norsec. 800–1350bára‘billow, wave’
  4. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500*borereconstructed
  5. Englishtodaybore

Today it means

verb To inspire boredom in somebody.

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

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *bʰerH- / bore

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