English
burh
Burh comes from Old English burh ‘city or town’, from Proto-Germanic *burgz ‘fortification, stronghold’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰerǵʰ- ‘to be elevated, up high’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰerǵʰ-‘to be elevated, up high’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰérǵʰs‘something high up and fortified’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*burgz‘fortification, stronghold’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150burh‘city or town’
- Englishtodaysame form
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰerǵʰ-‘to be elevated, up high’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰérǵʰs‘something high up and fortified’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*burgz‘fortification, stronghold’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150burh‘city or town’
- Englishtodaysame form
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *bʰerǵʰ- ‘to be elevated, up high’
force, comfortable, fort, berry, barrow, brie, forcible, brahmin, brahmana, bergh, bourguignon, burgher, 19 more
through Proto-Indo-European *bʰérǵʰs ‘something high up and fortified’
through Proto-Germanic *burgz ‘fortification, stronghold’
bourgeois, burgess, burglar, borgo, broch, burg, 3 more
through Old English burh ‘city or town’
Today it means
noun A fortified dwelling place belonging to a king or noble; a prehistoric fort.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *bʰerǵʰ- / burh