Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “wake” come from?

Wake derives from Old English wacu, from Proto-Germanic wakō, from Proto-Indo-European weǵ-, meaning to be awake or vigilant.

wake (English): To stop sleeping; To make somebody stop sleeping;...

Definitions

  1. To stop sleeping; To make somebody stop sleeping;...

Ancestry of “wake”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishwakeAlternative form of woke
2Old Englishwacuwake, watch
3Old Englishfordford
4Proto-West Germanicfurduford
5Proto-Germanicfurduzford
6Proto-Indo-Europeanpértuscrossing
7Proto-Indo-Europeanper-before, in front; first; to go through
8Proto-Indo-Europeanpr̥tóspassed , crossed

Words derived from “wake”

  • woke
  • waking
  • woken
  • wakefulness
  • wakeful
  • wakeup
  • waketh
  • wakefully
  • subwaking
  • wakey
  • wakest
  • wakefield
  • wakeboard
  • unwaking
  • wakeless
  • wakingly
  • sleepwaking
  • wakerobin
  • waketime
  • unwakeable
  • unwakeful
  • wakeboarder
  • moonwake
  • rewake
Every word from Proto-Indo-European pr̥tós →