door

Where does the word "door" come from? It comes from Proto-Germanic durz, passing through Old English before entering English (1500s).

Door’s story begins in Proto-Germanic: durz meant “door.” Cognate with Greek 'thyra' and Latin 'forēs', door, the root of 'forum' and 'foreign'. By 700s-1000s, the word had taken hold in Old English as duru. Old English had two forms, 'duru' and 'dor', which later merged. It reached English by 1500s as door. 'dead as a doornail' is recorded from the 1300s. Today, door means a hinged barrier closing an entrance.

1. Stage 1 · Proto-Germanic · ancient durz "door", cognate with Greek 'thyra' and Latin 'forēs', door, the root of 'forum' and 'foreign'.
2. Stage 2 · Old English · 700s-1000s duru "door", Old English had two forms, 'duru' and 'dor', which later merged.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1500s door "door", 'dead as a doornail' is recorded from the 1300s.