Where does “wait” come from?
Wait comes from Middle English waiten, from Old French waitier, from Frankish wahtijan, derived from Frankish wahtu, from Proto-Germanic wahtwō, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European weǵ-.
wait (English): To delay movement or action until the arrival or...
Definitions
- To delay movement or action until the arrival or...
Ancestry of “wait”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | waiten | to look at, behold |
| 2 | Anglo-Norman | waiter | — |
| 3 | Frankish | wahtwēn | to guard, protect; to keep watch |
| 4 | Frankish | wahtu | watch, guard; watch, guard duty, watchtower;... |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | wahtwō | watch, vigil |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | wakaną | to wake, be awake, arise |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | weǵ- | lively, awake; strong |