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ber·gère

(bər-zhâr)

A usually upholstered armchair having a relatively low back and side panels between the seat and armrests.

[French, shepherdess, bergère (probably so called after the pastoral scenes often depicted on the upholstery of such armchairs in the 1700s ), from Old French bergiere, shepherdess, feminine of berger, shepherd, from Vulgar Latin *vervēcārius, berbēcārius*berbēcārius, from Latin vervex, vervēc-, wether.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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