Etymology Explorer › English

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

  1. wished for; desired; sought; subject to immediate...

Ancestry of “wanted”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishwantTo wish for or desire ; to feel a need or desire...
2Middle Englishwontcustom, habit, practice
3Old Englishġewunod—
4Old Englishġewunian—
5Old Englishġēye
6Proto-Germanicjahwand, also
7Proto-Germanic-hwand; Forms distributives from interrogatives
8Proto-Germanic-hwe—
9Proto-Indo-European-kʷeand; Forms distributives from interrogatives

Words derived from “wanted”

  • unwanted
  • unwantedness
  • wantedness
  • unwantedly
  • wanted
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -kʷe →