Romance languages
Etymology
Since the 13th century, the Niepołomice Forest in Poland has had special use and protection. In this view from space, different coloration can indicate different functions.[16]
The word forest derives from the Old French forest (also forès), denoting “forest, vast expanse covered by trees”; forest was first introduced into English as the word denoting wild land set aside for hunting[17] without the necessity in definition of having
trees on the land.[18] Possibly a borrowing, probably via Frankish or Old High German, of the Medieval Latin foresta, denoting “open wood”, Carolingian scribes first used foresta in the Capitularies of Charlemagne specifically to denote the royal hunting grounds of the King. The word was not endemic to Romance languages, e. g. native words for forest in the Romance languages derived from the Latin silva, which denoted “forest” and “wood(land)” (confer the English sylva and sylvan); confer the Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese selva; the Romanian silvă; and the Old French selve, and cognates in Romance languages, e. g. the Italian foresta, Spanish and Portuguese floresta, etc., are all ultimately derivations of the French word.
A forest near Vinitsa, North Macedonia
The precise origin of Medieval Latin foresta is obscure. Some authorities claim the word derives from the Late Latin phrase forestam silvam, denoting “the outer wood”; others claim the word is a latinisation of the Frankish *forhist, denoting “forest, wooded country”, and was assimilated to “forestam silvam” pursuant to the common practice of Frankish scribes. The Old
High German forst denoting “forest”, Middle Low German vorst denoting “forest”, Old English fyrhþ denoting “forest, woodland, game preserve, hunting ground” (English frith), and Old Norse fýri, denoting “coniferous forest”, all of which derive from the Proto-Germanic *furhísa-, *furhíþija-, denoting “a fir-wood, coniferous forest”, from the Proto-Indo-European *perkwu-, denoting “a coniferous or mountain forest, wooded height” all attest to the Frankish *forhist.
