Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “thirst” come from?

Thirst comes from Old English þurst, from Proto-West Germanic þurstu, from Proto-Germanic þurstuz, from Proto-Indo-European ters-.

thirst (English): A sensation of dryness in the throat associated...

Definitions

  1. A sensation of dryness in the throat associated...

Ancestry of “thirst”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishthirst—
2Old Englishþurstthirst
3Proto-West Germanicþurstuthirst
4Germanic*þurstuz—
5Proto-Indo-Europeanters-dry

Words derived from “thirst”

  • thirsteth
  • bloodthirst
  • thirstless
  • thirster
  • thirstest
  • thirstland
  • thirstful
  • bloodthirster
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ters- →