English
herring
Herring comes from Middle English hering, and goes back to Proto-West Germanic *hāring.
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*hāringreconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150hǣring
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500hering
- Englishearliest quotation 1913herring
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*hāringreconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150hǣring
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500hering
- Englishearliest quotation 1913herring
Earliest quotation: 1913, Joseph Crosby Lincoln, New York: “Then he commenced to talk, really talk. and inside…”
Formed from -ing
The story
Possibly derived from Proto-Germanic *hērą (‘hair’) + -ing, due to the similarity of their fine bones to hair. Late Latin haringus (whence French hareng, etc.) is borrowed from Germanic.
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *kes- ‘to scrape, comb’
through Proto-Germanic *hērą ‘hair’
through Proto-West Germanic *hār ‘hair’
Today it means
noun A type of small, oily fish of the genus Clupea, often used as food.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-West Germanic *hāring / herring