Etymograph

English

farthing

Farthing comes from Old English fēorþing ‘a quarter, fourth part, farthing’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *kʷetwóres ‘four’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*kʷetwóres‘four’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*kʷetwr̥tós‘fourth’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*fedurþô‘fourth’reconstructed
  4. Proto-Germanic, derivedc. 500 BCE–200 CE*fedurþungaz‘a quarter’reconstructed
  5. Old Englishc. 450–1150fēorþa‘fourth’
  6. Old English, derivedc. 450–1150fēorþing‘a quarter, fourth part, farthing’
  7. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500ferthing
  8. Englishearliest quotation 1883farthing

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*kʷetwóres‘four’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*kʷetwr̥tós‘fourth’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*fedurþô‘fourth’reconstructed
  4. Proto-Germanic, derivedc. 500 BCE–200 CE*fedurþungaz‘a quarter’reconstructed
  5. Old Englishc. 450–1150fēorþa‘fourth’
  6. Old English, derivedc. 450–1150fēorþing‘a quarter, fourth part, farthing’
  7. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500ferthing
  8. Englishearliest quotation 1883farthing

Earliest quotation: 1883, Howard Pyle, New York: “Nay, Heaven forbid, indeed," quoth Robin, "that I should…”

Formed from fourth + -ing

Proto-Indo-European *kʷetwóres ‘four’

…

Proto-West Germanic *feurþō ‘fourth’

Old English fēorþa ‘fourth’

Middle English ferthe

Middle English fourthe

English fourth

The story

From Middle English ferthing, from Old English fēorþing, fēorþung (‘a quarter, fourth part, farthing’), from fēorþa (‘fourth’), from Proto-Germanic *fedurþungaz (‘a quarter’), probably influenced by Old Norse fjórðungr (‘a fourth part, quarter’).

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *kʷetwóres ‘four’

cater, quarry, kern, quatre, quire, cuatro, carillon, tetrad, quatrain, 18 more

through Old English fēorþa ‘fourth’

fourth, ferd

Today it means

noun A quarter of any monetary unit or measure.

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

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *kʷetwóres / farthing

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