Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “warray” come from?

warray (English) comes from Middle English werreyen, from Old French guerroiier, from Medieval Latin werra, from Frankish *werʀu, from Proto-Indo-European wers-, from Proto-Indo-European wer- — to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel.

warray (English): To wage war against

Definitions

  1. To wage war against

Ancestry of “warray”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishwerreyenTo attack, fight or war ; to be involved in armed...
2Old Frenchguerroiierto wage war; to engage in warfare
3Medieval Latinwerrawar, conflict; Alternative form of guerra
4Frankish*werʀu—
5Proto-Indo-Europeanwers-to wipe; peak, height
6Proto-Indo-Europeanwer-to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel
Every word from Proto-Indo-European wer- →