Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “churchwardenly” come from?

churchwardenly (English) comes from English churchwarden, from English warden, from Middle English wardein, from Anglo-Norman wardein, from Old French warder, from Old French guarder, from Frankish wardēn, from Proto-Germanic wardāną — to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel.

churchwardenly (English): Having the manner of a churchwarden

Definitions

  1. Having the manner of a churchwarden

Ancestry of “churchwardenly”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishchurchwardenA lay officer of the Church of England who...
2EnglishwardenA guard or watchman; A chief administrative...
3Middle Englishwardein—
4Anglo-Normanwardeinprotector; guard; guardian
5Old FrenchwarderAlternative form of guarder
6Old Frenchguarderto protect; to guard; to look at
7Frankishwardēnto protect; to guard, protect, watch over; to...
8Proto-Germanicwardānąto guard, protect, watch over
9Proto-Germanic*warduz—
10Proto-Indo-Europeanwēr-true
11Proto-Indo-Europeanwer-to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel
Every word from Proto-Indo-European wer- →