Middle English word birnen comes from Proto-Indo-European *bʰrewh₁-, Proto-Indo-European *bʰru-, and later Proto-Germanic *brinnaną (To burn, to be on fire.)
| Dictionary entry | Language | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| *bʰrewh₁- | Proto-Indo-European (ine-pro) | |
| *bʰru- | Proto-Indo-European (ine-pro) | |
| *bʰrénuh₁e- | Proto-Indo-European (ine-pro) | |
| *bʰrenw- | Proto-Indo-European (ine-pro) | |
| *brinnaną | Proto-Germanic (gem-pro) | To burn, to be on fire. |
| biernan | Old English (ang) | (intransitive) To burn. |
| bernen | Middle English (enm) |