Etymograph

English

four

Four comes from Old English fēower ‘four’, from Proto-Germanic *fedwōr, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kʷetwṓr ‘four’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*kʷetwṓr‘four’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*fedwōr‘four’reconstructed
  3. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*feuwar‘four’reconstructed
  4. Old Englishc. 450–1150fēower‘four’
  5. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500four
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1828same form

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*kʷetwṓr‘four’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*fedwōr‘four’reconstructed
  3. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*feuwar‘four’reconstructed
  4. Old Englishc. 450–1150fēower‘four’
  5. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500four
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1828same form

Earliest quotation: 1828, Pigot and Co.'s National Commercial Dire, Comprising a Directory of the Merchants: “Letters to Sheffield are despatched every morning at six,…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *kʷetwṓr

square, squad, quadrant, quadruple, cadre, quadratic, quadra, 29 more

Today it means

num A numerical value equal to 4; the number following three and preceding five.

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

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *kʷetwṓr / four

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