ferry

ferry · verb, noun¹

1. Old Norse · derived fromferja
2. Middle English · inherited fromferie“place of crossing, ferry”
3. Proto-Germanic · derived from*farjaną
4. Proto-West Germanic · derived from*farjan
5. Old English · inherited fromferian
6. Middle English · inherited fromferien“to carry, convey”
7. English todayferry

The verb is from Middle English ferien (“to carry, convey”), from Old English ferian, from Proto-West Germanic *farjan, from Proto-Germanic *farjaną, which see for cognates. This verb is the causative of Proto-Germanic *faraną (“to go, travel”), whence English fare; ultimately from the Proto-Indo-European root *per-. The noun is from Middle English ferie (“place of crossing, ferry”), which was derived from the above verb under influence of Old Norse ferja, from Proto-Germanic *farjǭ, itself also from the verb. False cognate of Latin ferō.

Ferry · proper noun²

1. Middle English · derived fromferi“ferry”
2. Irish · derived fromÓ Fearadhaigh“descendant of Fearadhach”
3. English todayFerry

Two main origins: * A reduced Anglicized form of Irish Ó Fearadhaigh (“descendant of Fearadhach”), a personal name probably derived from an adjective derivative of fear (“man”). * A metonymic occupational surname for a ferryman or a topographic surname for someone who lived by a ferry crossing, from Middle English feri (“ferry”).

Words from the same roots