harbor

Forms

• harbour (UK)

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English herberwe, herberge, from Old English *herebeorg, here-beorg, lodgings, quarters,^[2][3][4] from Proto-Germanic *harja-bergaz, shelter for an army, from *harjaz, army (see harry) and a word for shelter related to beorgan (“to save, protect”),^[3][2][5] from PIE Proto-Indo-European *bhergh- (“to hide, protect”).^[3] It is cognate with German Herberge (“hostel, inn”) and Dutch herberg, and was perhaps modelled on Old Norse herbergi.^[2][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Refuge, lodgings: about 1125 in Barnhart;^[2] a lodging for ships, a sheltered recess in a coast, the early 12th century in Etymonline.^[3] The harbour for ships is probably before 1200, in Layamon.^[2]

Semantic evolution

In Middle English herberwe meant a temporary dwelling, an inn, or an army's camp, and the sense for ships is a specialization of it.^[3] The verb, Old English herebeorgian, to take up quarters, shelter oneself, gives to harbour a fugitive and figuratively a feeling or grudge.^[3][6] The form harber appears about 1475.^[2] Merriam-Webster's word histories connect it with harbinger, originally one who went ahead to arrange lodgings.^[5]

Timeline

• c. 1125 – lodgings.^[2]
• before 1200 – a harbour for ships.^[2]
• c. 1475 – the form harber.^[2]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. A sheltered place on a coast where ships can anchor safely; a port.
2. A place of shelter or refuge.

Verb

1. To give shelter or a hiding place to, especially to a criminal.
2. To keep a thought or feeling in one's mind: harbor a grudge.
3. To contain or carry, as germs.

Word family

• harborer
• harborful
• harborless
• harborous
• harborage
• harbormaster
• harborside
• Bar Harbor

Related words

• harbour
• harbinger
• harry
• bury
• borough

Usage notes

British English spells the word harbour.^[7][8]

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
3. ^ a b c d e f g Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
5. ^ a b Merriam-Webster's Book of Word Histories, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
6. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
7. ^ Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
8. ^ Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English (2009), 5th ed., Harlow: Pearson Longman