Etymograph

English

year

Year comes from Old English ġēar ‘year’, from Proto-Germanic *jērą ‘year’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *yóh₁r̥ ‘year, spring’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*yóh₁r̥‘year; growing season’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*jērą‘year’reconstructed
  3. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*jār‘year’reconstructed
  4. Old Englishc. 450–1150ġēar‘year’
  5. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500yeer
  6. Englishearliest quotation 2008year

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*yóh₁r̥‘year; growing season’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*jērą‘year’reconstructed
  3. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*jār‘year’reconstructed
  4. Old Englishc. 450–1150ġēar‘year’
  5. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500yeer
  6. Englishearliest quotation 2008year

Earliest quotation: 2008, BioWare, Mass Effect: “Shepard: What can you tell me about the Citadel…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *(H)yeh₁- ‘to throw’

project, disease, object, jet, adjacent, injection, ease, jess, trajectory, inject, conjecture, catheter, gist, ejection, jetty, abject, eject, ejaculation, enema, ejaculate, jettison, jut, subjection, iambic, interject, joist, jetsam, 43 more

through Proto-Indo-European *yóh₁r̥ ‘year, spring’

hour, hora, 4 more

through Proto-Germanic *jērą

yore, 2 more

through Old English ġēar

yair, 2 more

Today it means

noun A period of time akin to the time taken for the Earth to undergo a full cycle of seasons.

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

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *yóh₁r̥ / year