Etymograph

English

fower

Fower comes from Old English fēower ‘four’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *kʷetwóres.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*kʷetwóres1‘four’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*fedwōr1‘four’reconstructed
  3. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*feuwar1‘four’reconstructed
  4. Old Englishc. 450–1150fēower2‘four’
  5. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500four2
  6. Englishtodayfower2

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Old English feower
  2. 2 Wiktionary, English fower

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*kʷetwóresWiktionary, Old English feower‘four’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*fedwōrWiktionary, Old English feower‘four’reconstructed
  3. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*feuwarWiktionary, Old English feower‘four’reconstructed
  4. Old Englishc. 450–1150fēowerWiktionary, English fower‘four’
  5. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500fourWiktionary, English fower
  6. EnglishtodayfowerWiktionary, English fower

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *kʷetwóres ‘four’

fourth, quarry, cater, kern, farthing, quatre, carillon, quire, cuatro, tetrad, quatrain, ferd, 17 more

through Middle English four

four

Today it means

num four

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “fower”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Old English feower. 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 *kʷetwóres / fower

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