Etymograph

English

comfrey

Comfrey comes from Latin conferveo ‘to boil together’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *bʰrewh₁-.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰrewh₁-1‘to boil’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*ferwejō1reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*ferweō1reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEferveō1‘boil, seethe’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEconferveo2‘to boil together’
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CE(herba) cōnfirma2
  7. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500cumfiria2
  8. Englishearliest quotation 2007comfrey2

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Latin conferveo
  2. 2 Wiktionary, English comfrey
  3. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 2007, Kim Severson, Farmer, Cookie Maker, Ecologist and, Yes, the Future King: “It thrives on compost and natural fertilizers brewed from…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰrewh₁-Wiktionary, Latin conferveo‘to boil’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*ferwejōWiktionary, Latin conferveoreconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*ferweōWiktionary, Latin conferveoreconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEferveōWiktionary, Latin conferveo‘boil, seethe’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEconferveoWiktionary, English comfrey‘to boil together’
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CE(herba) cōnfirmaWiktionary, English comfrey
  7. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500cumfiriaWiktionary, English comfrey
  8. Englishearliest quotation 2007comfreyWiktionary, English comfrey. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 2007, Kim Severson, Farmer, Cookie Maker, Ecologist and, Yes, the Future King: “It thrives on compost and natural fertilizers brewed from…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *bʰrewh₁- ‘to boil’

brand, burn, purple, bread, bourbon, broth, brew, bourne, brunt, brim, broil, bren, porphyry, briny, purpura, 38 more

through Proto-Italic *ferweō

fervently, 6 more

through Latin ferveō ‘boil, seethe’

fervor, fervent, ferment, effervescent, 7 more

Today it means

noun Any of several species of perennial herbs of the genus Symphytum, often specifically common comfrey (Symphytum officinale).

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “comfrey”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Latin conferveo. 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-Indo-European *bʰrewh₁- / comfrey

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