barrow

barrow · noun¹

1. Proto-Indo-European · inherited from*bʰerǵʰ-“to rise up, ascend; to be elevated, up high”
2. Proto-Indo-European · inherited from*bʰérǵʰos“hill”
3. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*bergaz“hill, mountain”
4. Proto-West Germanic · inherited from*berg
5. Old English · inherited frombeorg“mountain, hill, mound, barrow, burial place”
6. Middle English · inherited fromberwe
7. English todaybarrow

From Middle English berwe, bergh, from Old English beorg (“mountain, hill, mound, barrow, burial place”), from Proto-West Germanic *berg, from Proto-Germanic *bergaz (“hill, mountain”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰérǵʰos (“hill”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰerǵʰ- (“to rise up, ascend; to be elevated, up high”). Doublet of berg and bergh. Cognates Cognate with Scots burrow (“mound, tumulus, barrow”), North Frisian Bārig, beerch, beeri, beerj, berag, berig, berri, bärj (“mountain”), Saterland Frisian Bierich, Bíerig, Bäirch (“mountain”), West Frisian berch (“mountain”), Cimbrian pèrge (“mountain”), Dutch berg (“mountain”), German Berg (“mountain”), German Low German Barg (“mountain”), Limburgish berg, Bärrech (“hill, mountain”), Luxembourgish Bierg (“mountain”), Mòcheno pèrg (“mountain”), Yiddish באַרג (barg, “mountain”), Danish bjerg (“mountain”), Elfdalian bjärr (“hill, mountain”), Faroese berg, bjarg (“cliff”), bjørg (“cliffs”), Icelandic, Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk, and Swedish berg (“mountain”); also Northern Luri برگ (berg, “mountain”), Polish brzeg (“bank, shore”), Russian бе́рег (béreg, “bank, shore”).

barrow · noun²

1. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*barwǭ
2. Proto-West Germanic · inherited from*barwā
3. Old English · inherited frombearwe“basket, handbarrow”
4. Middle English · inherited frombarowe
5. English todaybarrow

From Middle English barowe, barwe, barewe, from Old English bearwe (“basket, handbarrow”), from Proto-West Germanic *barwā, *barwijā, from Proto-Germanic *barwǭ, *barwijǭ (“stretcher, bier”) (compare Low German Berwe, Old Norse barar (plural), Middle High German radebere (“wheelbarrow”)), from *beraną (“to bear”). More at bear.

barrow · noun³

1. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*barugaz
2. Proto-West Germanic · inherited from*barug
3. Old English · inherited frombearg
4. Middle English · inherited frombarow
5. English todaybarrow

From Middle English barow, bareȝ, bareh, from Old English bearg, bearh (“boar”), from Proto-West Germanic *barug, *barah, from Proto-Germanic *barugaz, *barahaz. Cognate with Old Frisian barch, Old Saxon barug, Old High German barug (German Borg), Old Norse bǫrgr.

barrow · noun⁴

1. Old English · derived frombeorgan“to protect”
2. Middle English · derived fromberwen“to protect”
3. Middle English · inherited from*berwe
4. English todaybarrow

From Middle English *berwe, *borwe, *bergh (attested in hamberwe and berwham (“horse-collar”)), from Middle English berwen (“to protect”), from Old English beorgan (“to protect”).

Barrow · proper noun⁵

1. Old Norse · derived fromey“island”
2. Old English · derived frombearu“grove”
3. English todayBarrow

English surname, from placenames derived from Old English bearu (“grove”). The place in Furness is of Celtic origin, from *barros (“promontory, peak”) + Old Norse ey (“island”). The place in Alaska, now known as Utqiagvik, was named after nearby Point Barrow (Nuvuk). In 1826, Point Barrow was named after Sir John Barrow, a British geographer.

Words from the same roots