Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “outworn” come from?

Outworn derives from English outwear, built on English wear from Old English werian, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European roots meaning to be or grow.

outworn (English): past participle of outwear; no longer usable;...

Definitions

  1. past participle of outwear; no longer usable;...

Ancestry of “outworn”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishoutwearTo wear out; To outlast; to survive or outlive...
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- →