English
ord
Ord comes from Middle English ord ‘point, point of a weapon, beginning’, and goes back to Proto-Germanic *uzdaz.
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*uzdaz1‘point’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*oʀd1‘sharp point, spear-point, spear’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150ord1‘point, spear-point, spear, source, beginning, front, vanguard’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500ord1‘point, point of a weapon, beginning’
- Englishearliest quotation 1814ord1
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, English ord
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1814, Henry William Weber, Robert Jamieson: “Hadubraht, the son of Hiltibrant, said, "Gladly gifts should…”.
Lineage
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*uzdazWiktionary, English ord‘point’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*oʀdWiktionary, English ord‘sharp point, spear-point, spear’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150ordWiktionary, English ord‘point, spear-point, spear, source, beginning, front, vanguard’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500ordWiktionary, English ord‘point, point of a weapon, beginning’
- Englishearliest quotation 1814ordWiktionary, English ord. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1814, Henry William Weber, Robert Jamieson: “Hadubraht, the son of Hiltibrant, said, "Gladly gifts should…”
The story
From Middle English ord (‘point, point of a weapon, beginning’), from Old English ord (‘point, spear-point, spear, source, beginning, front, vanguard’), from Proto-West Germanic *oʀd, from Proto-Germanic *uzdaz (‘point’), of obscure origin (see *uzdaz).uncertain The source flags this step as uncertain.
Linked words
through Proto-Germanic *uzdaz ‘point’
Today it means
noun A point.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “ord”. 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-Germanic *uzdaz / ord