Where does “War” come from?
War derives from Middle English werre, from Old French guerrer and guerreier, from Proto-Germanic werraną, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European wer-.
War (English): Preceded by [[the#Article
Definitions
- Preceded by [[the#Article
Ancestry of “War”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | werre | War in general; the practice of fighting between... |
| 2 | Old Norse | verri | comparative degree of illr, worse; worse |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | wirsizô | comparative degree of *ubilaz; worse |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | wers- | to wipe; peak, height |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | wer- | to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel |