An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Annotated/fahren

by Friedrich Kluge

fahren, verb, ‘to drive, convey, sail,’ from Middle High German varn, Old High German faran, ‘to move from one place to another, go, come’; corresponds to Gothic (rare) faran, ‘to wander, march,’ Old Saxon and Anglo-Saxon faran, ‘to proceed, march,’ English to fare, Old Icelandic fara, ‘to move’ (of any kind of motion). The root far in Gothic farjan (Old High German fęrian, Middle High German vęrn) means ‘to go by ship,’ and is therefore connected with the nouns mentioned under Fähre. The primary meaning of the Teutonic root far, ‘continued motion of every kind,’ is supported also by führen. As derivatives of the Aryan root per, por, compare Greek πόρος, ‘way, passage,’ πόρθμος, ‘straits’ (see Furt), πορθμεύς, ‘ferryman,’ πορεύω, ‘to bring, convey, cross,’ πορεύεσθαι, ‘to go, travel, march’ (hence there is a leaning in Greek also to the meaning ‘to go by ship’ in the case of the root πορ); Old Slovenian perą. pirati, ‘to fly’; Sanscrit root par, ‘to lead across’; Latin peritus, ‘experienced’ —