feather

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

Feather’s story begins in Proto-Germanic: feþrō meant “feather.” Cognate with Greek 'pteron', as in 'pterodactyl' and 'helicopter', and Latin 'penna'. By 700s-1000s, the word had taken hold in Old English as feðer. In the plural it also meant wings, and pens. It reached English by 1500s as feather. 'a feather in one's cap' dates from the 1600s. Today, feather means one of the light growths covering a bird.

1. Stage 1 · Proto-Germanic · ancient feþrō "feather", cognate with Greek 'pteron', as in 'pterodactyl' and 'helicopter', and Latin 'penna'.
2. Stage 2 · Old English · 700s-1000s feðer "feather", in the plural it also meant wings, and pens.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1500s feather "feather", 'a feather in one's cap' dates from the 1600s.