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Tracing “”…
Where does the word "daughter" come from? It comes from Proto-Germanic dohtēr, passing through Old English before entering English (1500s).
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Where does the word "daughter" come from? It comes from Proto-Germanic dohtēr, passing through Old English before entering English (1500s).
Daughter’s story begins in Proto-Germanic: dohtēr meant “daughter.” Cognate with Greek 'thugatēr' and Sanskrit 'duhitṛ'. By 700s-1000s, the word had taken hold in Old English as dohtor. Its 'h' was a throat sound, still heard in German 'Tochter'. It reached English by 1500s as daughter. The throat sound faded from speech, leaving the silent 'gh'. Today, daughter means a female child of her parents.
- Stage 1 · Proto-Germanic · ancient dohtēr "daughter", cognate with Greek 'thugatēr' and Sanskrit 'duhitṛ'.
- Stage 2 · Old English · 700s-1000s dohtor "daughter", its 'h' was a throat sound, still heard in German 'Tochter'.
- Stage 3 · English · 1500s daughter "female child", the throat sound faded from speech, leaving the silent 'gh'.