ovest

The story

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*h₁ed-“to eat”
2. Proto-Germanic · derived from*etaną“to eat”
3. Proto-Germanic · derived from*at-
4. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*obʰi-
5. Proto-West Germanic · inherited from*obaet“fruit, produce, increase”
6. Old English · inherited fromofett“fruit, legume”
7. Middle English · inherited fromovet
8. English todayovest

From Middle English ovet (likely from metathesis of the plural *ovetes, ofvetes, ofetes (“fruits”, pl)), from Old English ofett (“fruit, legume”), from Proto-West Germanic *obaet (“fruit, produce, increase”), from a compound whose first element represents Proto-Indo-European *obʰi-, *ebʰi-, *bʰi- (“on, toward, from, by”), and whose second element is Proto-Germanic *at-, *ēta- (“edibles, food”), from Proto-Germanic *etaną (“to eat”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁ed- (“to eat”). Cognate with West Frisian oefte (“something tasty to eat, goodies”), Dutch ooft (“fruit”), German Low German Ooft, Aaft (“fruit”), German Obst (“fruit”).

Words from the same roots