Where does “headword” come from?
Headword derives from English head and English worth, ultimately from Old English hēafod and Proto-Germanic wurdą, tracing to Proto-Indo-European kauput- and wer-.
headword (English): a word used as the title of a section,...
Definitions
- a word used as the title of a section,...
Ancestry of “headword”, step by step
headword traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English head
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | head | The part of the body of an animal or human which... |
| 2 | English | -y | Added to nouns and adjectives to form adjectives... |
| 3 | Middle English | -y | Designates an adjective, in many cases formed by... |
| 4 | Old English | -iġ | -y, -ic |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | -g | Forms adjectives from nouns and verbs with a... |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | -gaz | -y |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -ḱos | -y, -ic |
via English Word
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Word | Scripture; The Bible; The creative word of God;... |
| 2 | English | worth | Having a value of; proper to be exchanged for;... |
| 3 | Middle English | worth | to become |
| 4 | Old English | weorþ | worth, deserving; honoured, esteemed; worth,... |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | werþaz | worthy, valuable |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | wert- | to turn, to rotate |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | wer- | to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel |