Harbor
late Old English herebeorg ‘shelter, refuge’, herebeorgian ‘occupy shelter’, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch herberge and German Herberge, also to French auberge ‘inn’; see also harbinger.
wiktionary
From Middle English herberwe, herber, from Old English herebeorg(“shelter, lodgings, quarters”), from Proto-West Germanic *harjabergu(“army shelter, refuge”) (compare West Frisian herberch(“inn”), Dutch herberg(“inn”), German Herberge), from *harjaz(“army”) + *bergō(“protection”), equivalent to Old English here(“army, host”) + beorg(“defense, protection, refuge”). Cognate with Old Norse herbergi(“a harbour; a room”) (whence Icelandic herbergi), Dutch herberg, German Herberge(“inn, hostel, shelter”), Swedish härbärge. Compare also French auberge(“hostel”). More at here, harry, borrow and bury. Doublet of harbinger
From Middle English herberwen, herbere, from Old English herebeorgian(“to take up one's quarters, lodge”), from the noun (see above).
etymonline
harbor (n.)
"lodging for ships; sheltered recess in a coastline," early 12c., a specialized sense of Middle English herberwe "temporary dwelling place, quarters, lodgings; an inn; the camp of an army in the field," probably from Old English here-beorg (West Saxon), *here-berg (Anglian) "lodgings, quarters," from Proto-Germanic compound *harja-bergaz "shelter, lodgings," from *heri "army, host" (see harry (v.)) + *burzjan- "protection, shelter" (from PIE root *bhergh- (1) "to hide, protect"). Perhaps modeled on Old Norse herbergi "room, lodgings, quarters."
harbor (v.)
Old English herebeorgian "take up quarters, lodge, shelter oneself" (cognate with Old Norse herbergja, Old High German heribergon, Middle Dutch herbergen), verbal formation from here-beorg "lodgings, quarters" (see harbor (n.)). Meaning "give shelter to, protect" is from mid-14c. Figuratively, of thoughts, etc., from late 14c. Related: Harbored; harboring.
