Where does “twere” come from?

Twere comes from Middle English tweren, from Old English þweran, from Proto-Germanic þweraną, from Proto-Indo-European twer-, of uncertain meaning.

Ancestry of “twere”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishtweren—
2Old Englishþweranto twirl; to stir
3Proto-Germanicþweranąto swirl, turn, stir
4Proto-Indo-Europeantwer-to rotate, twirl, swirl, move; to turn, twirl,...
Every word from Proto-Indo-European twer- →Every word from Proto-Germanic þweraną →Every word from Old English þweran →