Where does “wanted” come from?
Wanted derives from Middle English -ed, Old English -od, Proto-Germanic -ōdaz, and Proto-Indo-European -eh₂tos, ultimately from the Proto-Indo-European root h₁weh₂-.
wanted (English): wished for; desired; sought; subject to immediate...
Definitions
- wished for; desired; sought; subject to immediate...
Ancestry of “wanted”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | want | To wish for or desire (something); to feel a need or desire for; to crave, hanker, or demand |
| 2 | Middle English | wont | custom, habit, practice |
| 3 | Old English | ġewunod | — |
| 4 | Old English | ġewunian | to stand by (someone), support |
| 5 | Old English | ġē | ye |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | jahw | and, also |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | -hw | and; Forms distributives from interrogatives |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | -hwe | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -kʷe | and; Forms distributives from interrogatives |