Where does “quare” come from?
quare (English) comes from English queer, from Middle Low German queer, from Old Saxon thwerh, from Proto-Germanic *þwerh, from Proto-Germanic þwerhaz, from Proto-Germanic þerh-, from Proto-Indo-European terkʷ- — to turn, spin.
quare (English): queer, strange
Ancestry of “quare”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | queer | Weird, odd or different; whimsical; Slightly... |
| 2 | Middle Low German | queer | oblique, off-center |
| 3 | Old Saxon | thwerh | contrary, against; bent, crooked |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | *þwerh | — |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | þwerhaz | cross, adverse |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | þerh- | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | terkʷ- | to turn, spin |