English
comforter
Comforter comes from Old French conforter ‘to comfort’, from Late Latin confortō ‘strengthen greatly’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰerǵʰ- ‘to rise, high, hill’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰerǵʰ-‘to rise, high, hill’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*forktis‘strong, powerful’reconstructed
- Old Latinc. 700–75 BCEforctis
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfortis‘strong’
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CEconfortō‘strengthen greatly’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400conforter‘to comfort’
- Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400confortour
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500comfortour
- Englishearliest quotation 1598–1599comforter
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰerǵʰ-‘to rise, high, hill’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*forktis‘strong, powerful’reconstructed
- Old Latinc. 700–75 BCEforctis
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfortis‘strong’
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CEconfortō‘strengthen greatly’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400conforter‘to comfort’
- Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400confortour
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500comfortour
- Englishearliest quotation 1598–1599comforter
Earliest quotation: 1598–1599, Much Adoe about Nothing: “Let no comforter delight mine ear / But such…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *bʰerǵʰ- ‘to rise, high, hill’
berry, borough, burgess, bourgeois, barrow, burglar, brie, burgh, brahmin, burg, brahmana, bourguignon, broch, borgo, bergh, 15 more
through Old Latin forctis
enforce, fortress, fortitude, fortification, forte, fortify, fortis, 8 more
through Latin fortis ‘strong’
Today it means
noun A person who comforts someone who is suffering.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *bʰerǵʰ- / comforter