The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000.
Appendix I
Indo-European Roots
ENTRY:
bher-1
DEFINITION:
To carry; also to bear children. Derivatives include birth, fertile, suffer, furtive, and metaphor. 1a. (i)bear1, from Old English beran, to carry; (ii)forbear1, from Old English forberan, to bear, endure (for-, for-; see per1). Both (i) and (ii) from Germanic *beran;b.bier, from Old English br,br, bier, and Old French biere bier, both from Germanic *br;c.bore3, from Old Norse bra, wave, billow, from Germanic *br-.2a.bairn, from Old English bearn, child, from Germanic *barnam;b.barrow1, from Old English bearwe, basket, wheelbarrow, from Germanic *barwn-.3a.burly, from Old English *borlic, excellent, exalted (< “borne up”), from Germanic *bur-;b.burden1, from Old English byrthen, burden, from Germanic *burthinja-;c.birth, from a source akin to Old Norse burdhr, birth, from Germanic *burthiz;d.birr1, from Old Norse byrr, favorable wind, perhaps from Germanic *burja-.4. Compound root *bhrenk-, to bring (< *bher- + *enk-, to reach; see nek-2). bring, from Old English bringan, to bring, from Germanic *brengan.5.–fer, fertile; afferent, circumference, confer, defer1, defer2, differ, efferent, infer, offer, prefer, proffer, refer, suffer, transfer, vociferate, from Latin ferre, to carry. 6. Prefixed and suffixed zero-grade form *pro-bhr-o-, “something brought before one” (*pro-, before; see per1). opprobrium, from Latin probrum, a reproach. 7. Possibly suffixed zero-grade form *bh-tu- in Latin words having to do with “chance” (? < “a bringing, that which is brought”). a.fortuitous, from Latin fortutus, happening by chance; b.Fortuna, fortune, from Latin fortna, chance, good luck, fortune, and Fortna, goddess of good fortune. 8. Probably lengthened o-grade form *bhr-.ferret1, furtive, furuncle; furunculosis, from Latin fr, thief. 9.feretory, –phore, –phoresis, –phorous; amphora, anaphora, diaphoresis, euphoria, metaphor, periphery, pheromone, telpher, tocopherol, from Greek pherein, to carry, with o-grade noun phoros, a carrying. 10.paraphernalia, from Greek phern, dowry (“something brought by a bride”). 11.sambal, from Sanskrit bharati, he carries, brings. (Pokorny 1. bher- 128.)
r, b
r, bier, and Old French biere bier, both from Germanic *b
; c. bore3, from Old Norse b
ra, wave, billow, from Germanic *b
-tu- in Latin words having to do with “chance” (? < “a bringing, that which is brought”). a. fortuitous, from Latin fortu
tus, happening by chance; b. Fortuna, fortune, from Latin fort
na, chance, good luck, fortune, and Fort
