Etymograph

English

fjord

Fjord comes from Old Norse fjǫrðr ‘firth, fjord’, from Proto-Indo-European *pértus ‘crossing’, and ultimately from *per- ‘to carry forth’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*per-1‘to carry forth’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*pértus1‘crossing’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*ferþuz1‘inlet, fjord’reconstructed
  4. Proto-Norsec. 200–800 CEferþuʀ1transliteratedrunes *ᚠᛖᚱᚦᚢᛉreconstructed
  5. Old Norsec. 800–1350fjǫrðr1‘firth, fjord’
  6. Norwegianmodernfjord1
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1839fjord1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English fjord
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1839, T. D. Whatley, Section II. Norway.: “About 20 English miles beyond this river, which is…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*per-Wiktionary, English fjord‘to carry forth’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*pértusWiktionary, English fjord‘crossing’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*ferþuzWiktionary, English fjord‘inlet, fjord’reconstructed
  4. Proto-Norsec. 200–800 CEferþuʀWiktionary, English fjordtransliteratedrunes *ᚠᛖᚱᚦᚢᛉreconstructed
  5. Old Norsec. 800–1350fjǫrðrWiktionary, English fjord‘firth, fjord’
  6. NorwegianmodernfjordWiktionary, English fjord
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1839fjordWiktionary, English fjord. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1839, T. D. Whatley, Section II. Norway.: “About 20 English miles beyond this river, which is…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *per- ‘to carry forth’

first, before, far, per, further, support, price, private, press, practice, report, fear, pre, primary, prime, appreciate, prize, pregnant, prior, practical, transport, sport, importance, precious, praise, interpretation, privilege, parade, par, forth, afford, ferry, export, pirate, fare, import, primitive, prix, portable, portal, 152 more

through Proto-Indo-European *pértus ‘crossing’

opportunity, port, ford, firth, 11 more

Today it means

noun A long, narrow, deep inlet between cliffs.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “fjord”. 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- / fjord

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