Etymograph

English

far

Far comes from Old English feor, from Proto-Germanic *ferrai, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *per- ‘to cross, pass’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*per-1‘to cross, pass’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*per-nóy1reconstructed
  3. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*ferrai2reconstructed
  4. Old Englishc. 450–1150feor2
  5. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500ferre2
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1611far2

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Proto-Germanic *ferrai
  2. 2 Wiktionary, English far
  3. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1611, The Holy Bible, London: […] Robert Barker: “And they went to Ioshua vnto the campe at…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*per-Wiktionary, Proto-Germanic *ferrai‘to cross, pass’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*per-nóyWiktionary, Proto-Germanic *ferraireconstructed
  3. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*ferraiWiktionary, English farreconstructed
  4. Old Englishc. 450–1150feorWiktionary, English far
  5. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500ferreWiktionary, English far
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1611farWiktionary, English far. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1611, The Holy Bible, London: […] Robert Barker: “And they went to Ioshua vnto the campe at…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *per- ‘to cross, pass’

first, before, support, per, report, further, price, private, press, practice, opportunity, pre, prior, prime, appreciate, port, prize, primary, afford, pregnant, ford, practical, fear, forth, precious, praise, interpretation, privilege, ferry, pirate, porch, parade, primitive, prix, par, interpreter, pragmatic, pardon, privy, prism, 155 more

through Proto-Germanic *ferrai

afar, 1 more

Another origin of far

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰers-‘spike, prickle’uncertain
  2. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*fars‘flour, grain’reconstructed
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfar‘farro, a type of hulled wheat.’
  4. Englishtodayfar

Today it means

adj Distant; remote in space.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “far”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Proto-Germanic *ferrai. 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 *per- / far

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