Language is a living record of human history. Every word we speak today carries echoes of the past – of ancient tongues, migrations, and evolving civilisations.
Some words, remarkably, have survived for thousands of years, travelling from Old English and even older Proto-Indo-European roots to our modern speech.
Here are five of the oldest English words still in use today.
1. MOTHER
The word mother can be traced back over 15,000 years to the ancient Proto-Indo-European word mhtr. Across countless languages – from Sanskrit’s mt to Latin’s mater – this word has remained astonishingly consistent.
It reflects not only the bond between parent and child but also the endurance of human emotion across ages.
2. FIRE
From the Old English fyr, meaning the same as it does today, fire is among humanity’s earliest and most essential discoveries. Its ancient root, phwr, also gave rise to the Greek pyr (as in “pyre” or “pyrotechnics”).
The word reminds us of our ancestors gathered around flames, forging both warmth and community.
3. MAN
The word man comes from the Old English mann, meaning “person” or “human being.” Initially gender-neutral, it only later came to denote the male sex.
Its survival across centuries reflects how language evolves with society, even while preserving its core meaning.
4. BLACK
Derived from the Old English blc, meaning dark or ink-like, black has been used for over a thousand years.
It symbolises more than colour – it represents mystery, night, and the unknown. Its root links to ancient words describing brightness or burntness, showing how meanings shift over time.
5. HEAR
The word hear comes from the Old English hieran, which itself came from Proto-Germanic hauzjan.
Hearing has always been one of the most vital human senses, and the word’s continuity shows how basic perception shaped our earliest communication.
These words – mother, fire, man, black, and heart – are linguistic fossils, fragments of our shared human ancestry.
They remind us that even as English evolves, it carries within it whispers of the first tongues ever spoken.
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