Etymograph

English

bridge

Bridge comes from Old English brycġ, from Proto-Germanic *brugjǭ ‘bridge’, of uncertain origin.

  1. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*brugjǭ1‘bridge’reconstructed
  2. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*bruggju1‘bridge’reconstructed
  3. Old Englishc. 450–1150brycġ1‘bridge’
  4. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500brigge1‘a bridge’
  5. Englishearliest quotation 1897bridge1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English bridge
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1897, Winston Churchill: “Now we plunged into a deep shade with the…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*brugjǭWiktionary, English bridge‘bridge’reconstructed
  2. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*bruggjuWiktionary, English bridge‘bridge’reconstructed
  3. Old Englishc. 450–1150brycġWiktionary, English bridge‘bridge’
  4. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500briggeWiktionary, English bridge‘a bridge’
  5. Englishearliest quotation 1897bridgeWiktionary, English bridge. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1897, Winston Churchill: “Now we plunged into a deep shade with the…”

Every English word from Proto-Germanic *brugjǭ

Another origin of bridge

  1. Turkish1928–presentbir-üç‘one-three’uncertain
  2. Russianmodernбирю́чbirjúčuncertain
  3. Englishtodaybridge

Today it means

noun A construction spanning a waterway, ravine, or valley from a height, allowing for the passage of vehicles, pedestrians, trains, etc.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “bridge”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Proto-Germanic *brugjǭ / bridge

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