Etymograph

English

iron

Iron comes from Old English īren, īsern, from Proto-Germanic *īsarną ‘iron’, borrowed from Proto-Celtic *īsarnom ‘iron’.

  1. Proto-Celticc. 1300–800 BCE*īsarnomreconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*īsarnąreconstructed
  3. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*īsarnreconstructed
  4. Old Englishc. 450–1150īsern‘the metal iron’
  5. Old English, derivedc. 450–1150īren
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500iren‘iron’
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1814iron

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Celticc. 1300–800 BCE*īsarnomreconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*īsarnąreconstructed
  3. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*īsarnreconstructed
  4. Old Englishc. 450–1150īsern‘the metal iron’
  5. Old English, derivedc. 450–1150īren
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500iren‘iron’
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1814iron

Earliest quotation: 1814, Walter Scott: “[...] is it he who is ironed like a…”

Linked words

through Old English īsern ‘the metal iron’

ire

Today it means

noun A common, inexpensive metal, silvery grey when untarnished, that rusts, is attracted by magnets, and is used in making steel: a chemical element having atomic number 26 and symbol Fe.

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

Etymograph / Proto-Celtic *īsarnom / iron

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