English
firth
Firth comes from Scots firth, and goes back to Northern Middle English fyrth.
- Northern Middle Englishmodernfyrth
- Scotsc. 1450–presentfirth
- Englishearliest quotation 1947same form
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Northern Middle Englishmodernfyrth
- Scotsc. 1450–presentfirth
- Englishearliest quotation 1947same form
Earliest quotation: 1947, and February, "The Aberdonian" in Wartime: “The descent continues, still more steeply to Dundee (Tay…”
The story
The English word is a doublet of fjord, ford, port, and fjard.
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *per- ‘to carry forth’
before, first, far, per, support, price, private, press, practice, report, fear, pre, primary, prior, further, prime, appreciate, prize, afford, pregnant, practical, transport, sport, importance, precious, praise, interpretation, privilege, parade, par, ferry, export, fare, porch, import, pardon, forth, primitive, prix, portable, 154 more
through Proto-Indo-European *pértus ‘crossing’
opportunity, port, fjord, 11 more
through Old English ford
Another origin of firth
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*perkʷ-‘oak’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*pérkus‘oak’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*furhu‘fir’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanic, derivedc. 200–500 CE*furhiþi‘forest, woodland’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150fyrhþe‘forest, wooded country’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500frith‘forest’
- Middle English, derivedc. 1150–1500fyrthmetathetic variant of frith
- Englishtodayfirth
Today it means
noun An arm or inlet of the sea; a river estuary.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Northern Middle English fyrth / firth