ᴹQ. ferna n. “mast, beechnuts” (Category: Acorn)
A word in The Etymologies of the 1930s glossed “mast, beechnuts” under the root ᴹ√PHER(EN) “beech” (Ety/BERETH). Most likely the gloss “mast” refers to the fallen nuts or acorns used in ancient times to feed pigs, which was one of the senses of the Old English word “mæst”. The mast of a ship would instead be tyulma (PE21/80; Ety/TYUL).
Reference ✧ Ety/PHER ✧ “mast, beechnuts”
Cognates
Derivations
Phonetic Developments
| ᴹ√PHÉREN > ferna | [pʰerna] > [ɸerna] > [ferna] | ✧ Ety/PHER |