English
bury
Bury comes from Middle English birien ‘to bury’, from Old English byrġan ‘to hide’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰergʰ- ‘to defend, protect’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰergʰ-‘to defend, protect’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*burgijaną‘to keep safe’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*burgijanreconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150byrġan‘to hide’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500birien‘to bury’
- Englishearliest quotation 1599bury
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰergʰ-‘to defend, protect’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*burgijaną‘to keep safe’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*burgijanreconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150byrġan‘to hide’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500birien‘to bury’
- Englishearliest quotation 1599bury
Earliest quotation: 1599, The Tragedie of Iulius Cæsar: “Give me a bowl of wine. / In this…”
The story
The spelling with ⟨u⟩ represents the pronunciation of the West Midland and Southern dialects, while the Modern English pronunciation with /ɛ/ is from the Kentish dialects.
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *bʰergʰ- ‘to defend, protect’
through Proto-Germanic *burgijaną ‘to keep safe’
through Old English byrġan ‘to hide’
Today it means
verb To kill or murder.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *bʰergʰ- / bury