feower (Old English)

Where does "feower" come from?

The word 'four' traces its roots back to the Proto-Indo-European *kʷetwóres. Traveling through Proto-Germanic and Proto-West Germanic stages, it underwent sound changes influenced by the word for 'five' before settling into the Old English 'feower'. This ancient count has remained remarkably consistent in meaning throughout its centuries-long linguistic journey.

Full etymology tree

• feower (Old English), 'four'
  • inherited *feuwar (Proto-West Germanic), 'four'
    • inherited *fewwār (Proto-West Germanic)
      • inherited *fedwōr (Proto-Germanic), 'four'
        • inherited *petwṓr (Pre-Grimm Germanic)
          • influence *pénkʷe (Proto-Indo-European), 'five'
          • inherited *kʷetwṓr (Proto-Indo-European)
            • inherited *kʷetwóres (Proto-Indo-European), 'four'
              • derived *kʷet- (Proto-Indo-European)

Direct ancestors

• feuwar (Proto-West Germanic)
• fedwōr (Proto-Germanic)
• kʷetwóres (Proto-Indo-European)

Updated July 2026

Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris