Etymology
1. O.E.
isærn (with M.E. rhotacism of
-s-), from P.Gmc.
*isarnan (cf. O.S.
isarn, O.N.
isarn, M.Du.
iser, O.H.G.
isarn, Ger.
Eisen) "holy metal" or "strong metal" (in contrast to softer bronze) probably an early borrowing of Celt.
*isarnon (cf. O.Ir.
iarn, Welsh
haiarn), from PIE
*is-(e)ro- "powerful, holy," from PIE
*eis "strong" (cf. Skt.
isirah "vigorous, strong," Gk.
ieros "strong"). The verb meaning "press clothes" (with a heated flat-iron) is first recorded 1680;
ironing board is from 1843.
"Right so as whil that Iren is hoot men sholden smyte." [Chaucer, c.1386]
To
have (too) many irons in the fire "to be doing too much at once" is from 1549.
Iron lung "artificial respiration tank" is from 1932.
Ironside, name given to a man of great hardihood or bravery (1297) first applied to Edmund II, king of England (d.1016), later also to Oliver Cromwell and his troops.
2. Etymology tree
3. Proto-Indo-European *h₁ēsh₂r̥no-der.?
4. Proto-Celtic *īsarnombor.
5. Proto-Germanic *īsarną
6. Proto-West Germanic *īsarn
7. Old English īsern
8. Old English īren
9. Middle English iren
10. English iron
11. From Middle English iren, from Old English īsern, īsærn, īren, īsen, from Proto-West Germanic *īsarn, from Proto-Germanic *īsarną (“iron”), from Proto-Celtic *īsarnom (“iron”), possibly a derivation from Proto-Indo-European *h₁ésh₂r̥ (“blood”).
12. Cognates
13. Cognate with Scots airn, ern (“iron”), Yola eeren (“iron”), Saterland Frisian Iersen (“iron”), West Frisian izer (“iron”), Bavarian Eisn (“iron”), Cimbrian aizarn (“iron”), Dutch ijzer (“iron”), German, Luxembourgish Eisen (“iron”), German Low German Isen (“iron”), Alemannic German Ise (“iron”), Limburgish iezer (“iron”), Mòcheno aisn (“iron”), Vilamovian ȧjza (“iron”), West Flemish yzer (“iron”), Yiddish אײַזן (ayzn, “iron”), Danish jern, jærn (“iron”), Faroese jarn (“iron”), Icelandic járn (“iron”), Jamtish járn, jáðn (“iron”), Norwegian Bokmål jern (“iron”), Norwegian Nynorsk jarn, jern, jønn (“iron”), Swedish jern, jaͤrn, järn (“iron”), Gothic 𐌴𐌹𐍃𐌰𐍂𐌽 (eisarn, “iron”). See: Scots '
airn', Luxembourgish '
Eisen', Alemannic German '
Ise', Wymysorys '
ȧjza'.
Verbs referencing "iron"
Zulu
ayina, Bislama aean.