Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “eyewear” come from?

eyewear (English) comes from English -wear, from English Wear, from Middle English weren, from Old English werian, from Proto-West Germanic waʀjan, from Proto-Germanic warjaną, from Proto-Indo-European wēr-, from Proto-Indo-European wer- — to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel.

eyewear (English): A vision aid or similar device worn over the...

Definitions

  1. A vision aid or similar device worn over the...

Ancestry of “eyewear”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1English-wearUsed to form nouns denoting clothing
2EnglishWear—
3Middle EnglishwerenPlural past indicative form of been; Plural...
4Old Englishwerianto wear; to defend, protect
5Proto-West Germanicwaʀjanto clothe
6Proto-Germanicwarjanąto ward off, to defend against; to thwart, to...
7Proto-Indo-Europeanwēr-true
8Proto-Indo-Europeanwer-to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel
Every word from Proto-Indo-European wer- →