An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Annotated/bohren

by Friedrich Kluge

bohren, verb, ‘to bore, pierce,’ from the equivalent Middle High German born, Old High German borôn; compare the corresponding Dutch boren, Anglo-Saxon borian, English to bore (and bore, ‘hole made by boring’); Gothic *baúrôn. The primary Teutonic bŏrôn, ‘to bore,’ is primitively cognate with Latin forare, ‘to bore,’ Greek φαράω, ‘I plough’; Sanscrit bhurij, ‘scissors,’ belongs to the same root, and in Irish there is a verbal root berr, from bherj, meaning ‘to shear.’ The primary meaning of this root bhar, which differs from that appearing in Geburt and Latin fero, Greek φέρω was probably ‘to fashion with a sharp instrument.’ Compare Modern High German dialectic Bohrer, ‘woodlouse,’ English bore.