Etymograph

English

garrison

Garrison comes from Old French garison ‘defence’, from guarir ‘to protect’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *wer- ‘to burn’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*wer-1‘to burn’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*warjaną2‘to ward off, to defend against’reconstructed
  3. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*warjan3‘to ward off’reconstructed
  4. Frankishc. 250–700*warjan3reconstructed
  5. Old Frenchc. 842–1400guarir4‘to protect’
  6. Old Frenchc. 842–1400garison4‘defence’
  7. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500garisoun4‘Security, safety’
  8. Englishearliest quotation c. 1587–1588garrison4

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Proto-Germanic *warjaną
  2. 2 Wiktionary, Proto-West Germanic *warjan
  3. 3 Wiktionary, Old French guarir
  4. 4 Wiktionary, English garrison
  5. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: c. 1587–1588, Christopher Marlowe, Tamburlaine the Great. […] The First Part […]: “My Lord the great Commander of the worlde, […]…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*wer-Wiktionary, Proto-Germanic *warjaną‘to burn’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*warjanąWiktionary, Proto-West Germanic *warjan‘to ward off, to defend against’reconstructed
  3. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*warjanWiktionary, Old French guarir‘to ward off’reconstructed
  4. Frankishc. 250–700*warjanWiktionary, Old French guarirreconstructed
  5. Old Frenchc. 842–1400guarirWiktionary, English garrison‘to protect’
  6. Old Frenchc. 842–1400garisonWiktionary, English garrison‘defence’
  7. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500garisounWiktionary, English garrison‘Security, safety’
  8. Englishearliest quotation c. 1587–1588garrisonWiktionary, English garrison. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: c. 1587–1588, Christopher Marlowe, Tamburlaine the Great. […] The First Part […]: “My Lord the great Commander of the worlde, […]…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *wer- ‘to burn’

guard, reward, ward, con, regard, warn, worm, verge, optic, beware, panorama, ware, reverence, revere, vermin, wry, prosaic, vermilion, diorama, milliner, vermicelli, vermeil, vermiculite, varmint, 67 more

through Proto-West Germanic *warjan ‘to ward off’

wear, weir, 2 more

through Frankish *warjan

garage, guaranty, 3 more

Today it means

noun A permanent military post.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “garrison”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Proto-Germanic *warjaną, Proto-West Germanic *warjan, Old French guarir. 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 *wer- / garrison

Shirt and support for this word