year
A period of approximately 365 days, corresponding to one revolution of the Earth around the Sun.
PIE *yeh₁r-
Etymology
From Old English gēar (year), from Proto-Germanic *jērą, from PIE *yeh₁r- (year, season, spring). The same root gave Greek hōra (season, hour) and Avestan yārə (year). The original sense may have been 'spring' or 'the going' of the seasons, possibly connected to *h₁ey- (to go).
The Journey: *yeh₁r- → year
PIE
*yeh₁r-
Proto-Germanic
*jērą
Old English
gēar
Modern English
year
Cognates Across Languages
These words in other languages descend from the same PIE root *yeh₁r-. They are not borrowings but independent inheritances from a common ancestor.
| Language | Word |
|---|---|
| Greek | hōra (ὥρα) — season, hour |
| German | Jahr — year |
| Avestan | yārə — year |
| Old Church Slavonic | jara — spring |
Did You Know?
The same PIE root that gave English year also gave English hour (via Greek hōra). A year was originally just one turn of the seasons — the 'going round' of time.