foreign

The story

1. Proto-Indo-European*dʰwer-
2. Proto-Indo-European*dʰworéh₂
3. Proto-Italic*þworā
4. Proto-Italic*fworā
5. Proto-Italic*forā
6. Latin*fora
7. Latinforās
8. Proto-Indo-European*dʰwer-
9. Proto-Indo-European*dʰwṓr
10. Proto-Italic*θworeis < *θworis
11. Latinforīs < foris
12. Vulgar Latin*forānus
13. Old Frenchforain
14. Middle Englishferinflu.
15. Middle Englishforeyn
16. Englishreigninflu.?
17. English todayforeign

From Middle English foreyn, forein, from Old French forain, from Vulgar Latin *forānus (“outsider, outlander”), from Latin forās (“outside, outdoors”) or forīs (“outside, outdoors”). Displaced native Old English elþēodiġ (“foreign”) and now-dialectal English fremd, from Old English fremde (“strange, foreign”). The silent -g- added perhaps by analogy with reign (compare also sovereign which was similarly altered).