bore

bore · verb, noun¹

1. Proto-Indo-European*bʰerH-
2. Proto-Germanic*burōną
3. Proto-West Germanic*borōn
4. Old Englishborian
5. Middle Englishboren
6. English todaybore

From Middle English boren, from Old English borian (“to pierce”), from Proto-West Germanic *borōn, from Proto-Germanic *burōną. Compare Danish bore, Norwegian Bokmål bore, Dutch boren, German bohren, Old Norse bora. Cognate with Latin forō (“to bore, to pierce”), Latin feriō (“strike, cut”) and Albanian birë (“hole”). Sense of wearying may come from a figurative use such as "to bore the ears"; compare German drillen.

bore · noun²

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*bʰer-“to bear”
2. Proto-Germanic · derived from*bērō“that which bears or carries”
3. Old Norse · derived frombára“billow, wave”
4. Middle English · inherited from*bore
5. English todaybore

From Middle English *bore, bare, a borrowing from Old Norse bára (“billow, wave”), from Proto-Germanic *bērō (“that which bears or carries”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰer- (“to bear”). Cognate with Icelandic bára (“billow, wave”), Faroese bára (“billow, wave”). Doublet of bier.

Words from the same roots