Food — From Proto-Germanic to English | etymologist.ai
food
/fuːd/·noun·before 900 CE·Established
Origin
From PIE *peh₂- (to feed, protect) — kin to 'feed,' 'fodder,' 'foster,' 'pastor' (feeder of sheep), and 'pantry.'
Definition
Any nutritious substance that people or animals eat or drink or that plants absorb in order to maintain life and growth.
The Full Story
Proto-Germanicbefore 900 CEwell-attested
From OldEnglish 'fōda' (food, nourishment), from Proto-Germanic *fōdō (food, sustenance), from PIE *peh₂- (to protect, to feed, to pasture). ThePIE root links feeding and protection as a single concept — the one who feeds also guards. The samerootproduced Latin 'pānis' (bread — whence 'pantry,' 'companion,' literally 'bread-
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'Food,' 'feed,' 'fodder,' 'foster,' 'pasture,' 'pastor,' and 'pantry' all descend from PIE *peh₂- (to protect, to feed). A 'pastor' is literally a feeder (of sheep), and a 'pantry' comesthroughFrench from Latin 'pānārium' (bread basket), from 'pānis' (bread). So theroom where you store food and the person
'), Latin 'pābulum' (food, fodder), Latin 'pāstor' (shepherd, one who feeds/tends — whence 'pastoral'), and Latin 'pāscere' (to feed, to graze). In the Germanic
Futter(German (animal feed))föda(Swedish (food, nourishment))foder(Danish (fodder))pānis(Latin (bread; same PIE root))pāstor(Latin (shepherd; same PIE root))