fir (English)

Where does "fir" come from?

The word 'fir' traces back to the Proto-Indo-European root for 'oak,' a connection still preserved in the Latin word 'quercus.' Within the Germanic branch, the meaning shifted from oak to coniferous trees, evolving from the Proto-Germanic 'furhō' into Old English 'fyrh.' During the Middle English period, the term was further influenced by the Old Norse word 'fýri' before settling into its modern form.

Full etymology tree

fir (English), 'A conifer of the genus Abies.'
- inherited firre (Middle English), 'fir (Abies spp.)'
  - inherited fyrh (Old English), 'inflection of furh:'
    - inherited *furhu (Proto-West Germanic), 'fir'
      - inherited *furhō (Proto-Germanic), 'fir; pine'
        inherited *pérkʷus (Proto-Indo-European)
        compound *perkʷ- (Proto-Indo-European), 'oak'
        suffix *-us (Proto-Indo-European), 'Forms adjectives from Caland system roots.'
  - borrowed fýri (Old Norse), 'forest of fir trees, coniferous forest'
    - inherited *furhō (Proto-Germanic), 'fir; pine'
      - inherited *pérkʷus (Proto-Indo-European)
        compound *perkʷ- (Proto-Indo-European), 'oak'
        suffix *-us (Proto-Indo-European), 'Forms adjectives from Caland system roots.'

Direct ancestors

Updated May 2026

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