Door and Foreign Both Come From the Idea of Outside
A door is a hinged barrier in a doorway. The same root gives a word for what lies beyond it.
A door is a hinged or sliding barrier closing an entrance. The Indo-European root behind it, meaning a doorway, also produced Latin *foris*, outside the door, which gives English *foreign* and *forest* — the land beyond the settlement. Door, foreign and forest all turn on the idea of a threshold. A *doorstep* is now also a verb for arriving uninvited, and *darkening someone's door* has meant visiting since the 1700s.
- A hinged barrier. *Close the door.*
- An opportunity. *A door opened.*
- Next door — adjacent. *Next door.*
- Foreign — from the same root. *Foreign.*
- Old English — *duru*. *The source.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | door | A door. |
| Plural | doors | Doors. |
| Compound | doorway | A doorway. |
| Compound | doorstep | A doorstep. |
| Old English | duru | A door. |
- Shut the door behind you.Barrier.
- The job opened doors.Figurative.
- Foreign shares the root.Etymology.
Door idioms
- Show someone the door — ask them to leave
- Darken my door — visit, usually unwelcome
- At death's door — gravely ill
- Lay it at someone's door — assign blame
- Foot in the door — a small first step towards a goal
Old English *duru*, of Germanic origin, from an Indo-European root shared with Latin *foris* and Greek *thura*.
Are door and foreign related?
Yes. Both go back to a root meaning a doorway. Latin foris meant outside the door, giving foreign and forest.
What does darken my door mean?
To visit. The phrase dates from the 1700s and refers to the shadow a caller casts in the doorway.