English
here
Here comes from Old English hēr ‘at this place’, from Proto-Germanic *hē₂r ‘here’, and perhaps ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ḱe ‘here’ (via *ḱís ‘this’).
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ḱe‘here (deictic particle)’uncertain
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*ḱís‘this’uncertain
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*hiz‘this’uncertain
- Proto-Germanic, derivedc. 500 BCE–200 CE*hē₂r‘here, in this place’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*hēr‘here’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150hēr‘at this place’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500her
- Englishearliest quotation 1796here
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ḱe‘here (deictic particle)’uncertain
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*ḱís‘this’uncertain
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*hiz‘this’uncertain
- Proto-Germanic, derivedc. 500 BCE–200 CE*hē₂r‘here, in this place’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*hēr‘here’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150hēr‘at this place’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500her
- Englishearliest quotation 1796here
Earliest quotation: 1796, George Washington: “Here, perhaps I ought to stop.”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *ḱe ‘Deictic particle, here’
among, competition, consider, conference, concrete, cum, commodity, compulsory, compel, connotation, condiment, condescend, limbed, 15 more
through Proto-Germanic *hiz ‘this’
his, him, he, her, hey, en, hence, hitherto, hither
through Middle English her
Today it means
adv In, on, or at this place (a place perceived to be close to the speaker); compare there.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *ḱe / here