English
forehead
Forehead comes from Middle English forhed, and goes back to Proto-West Germanic *forēhaubid.
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*forēhaubidreconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150forehēafod
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500forhed
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1598–1600forehead
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*forēhaubidreconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150forehēafod
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500forhed
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1598–1600forehead
Earliest quotation: c. 1598–1600, William Shakespeare, As You Like It: “Though I look old, yet I am strong and…”
Proto-Indo-European *per- ‘before, formerly’
Proto-Germanic *fura- ‘before, in front of, for’
Proto-West Germanic *forē- ‘before, in front of, fore-, pre-’
English fore-
Proto-Indo-European *kap- ‘head’
…
Proto-Germanic *haubudą ‘head’
Proto-West Germanic *haubud
Old English hēafod ‘head’
Middle English heed ‘head’
English head
Every English word from Proto-West Germanic *forēhaubid
Today it means
noun The part of the face above the eyebrows and below the hairline.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-West Germanic *forēhaubid / forehead