Etymograph

English

frith

Frith comes from Middle English frith ‘forest, woodland’, from Proto-West Germanic *furhu ‘fir’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *perkʷ- ‘oak’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*perkʷ-‘oak’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*pérkus‘oak’reconstructed
  3. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*furhu‘fir’reconstructed
  4. Proto-West Germanic, derivedc. 200–500 CE*furhiþi‘forest, woodland’reconstructed
  5. Old Englishc. 450–1150fyrhþe‘forest, wooded country’
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500frith‘forest, woodland’
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1612same form

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*perkʷ-‘oak’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*pérkus‘oak’reconstructed
  3. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*furhu‘fir’reconstructed
  4. Proto-West Germanic, derivedc. 200–500 CE*furhiþi‘forest, woodland’reconstructed
  5. Old Englishc. 450–1150fyrhþe‘forest, wooded country’
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500frith‘forest, woodland’
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1612same form

Earliest quotation: 1612, Michael Drayton, Poly-Olbion: “As over Holt and Heath, as thorough Frith and…”

The story

The English word is cognate with Latin quercus (‘oak’), Old English fyrh (‘fir, pine’), Old High German forst, foreht (‘forest’), Old Norse fýri (‘pine-wood, coniferous forest’). Latin foresta (whence eventually English forest), may be borrowed from the same West Germanic source.

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *perkʷ- ‘oak’

ever, firm, farm, forest, 1 more

through Proto-West Germanic *furhu ‘fir’

fir

through Middle English frith ‘forest, woodland’

firth

Today it means

noun A forest or wood; woodland generally.

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

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *perkʷ- / frith

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