| 1 | Middle English | care | grief; sorrow |
| 2 | Old English | caru | worry, anxiety, care; sorrow, grief |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | karu | care, worry |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | karō | complaint, lament, grievance, moan; worry,... |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵeh₂r- | to shout, cry; exclamation; voice; to call, cry |