Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “aware” come from?

Aware derives from Middle English aware, from Old English ġewær, from Proto-West Germanic gawar, from Proto-West Germanic war, from Proto-Germanic waraz, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European ḱóm and wer-.

aware (English): Vigilant or on one's guard against danger or...

Definitions

  1. Vigilant or on one's guard against danger or...

Ancestry of “aware”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishaware—
2Old Englishġewæraware
3Proto-West Germanicgawaraware, noticing something
4Proto-Indo-Europeanworósattentive
5Proto-Indo-Europeanwēr-true
6Proto-Indo-Europeanwer-to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel

Words derived from “aware”

  • awareness
  • unaware
  • unawares
  • unawareness
  • hyperaware
  • hyperawareness
  • nonawareness
  • awarely
  • unawarely
  • ecoawareness
  • cyberawareness
  • self-aware
  • self-awareness
  • aweanes
Every word from Proto-Indo-European wer- →