Where does “watchword” come from?

Watchword comes from Middle English wacche word, combining Middle English wacche from Old English, Proto-Germanic wurdą, and Proto-Indo-European werdʰo-, ultimately deriving from the root weǵ-.

watchword (English): A word used as a motto, as expressive of a...

Definitions

  1. A word used as a motto, as expressive of a...

Ancestry of “watchword”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishwacche wordpassword; verbal forewarning
2Middle EnglishwordA word; A statement; a linguistic unit said or...
3Old Englishworðword
4Proto-Germanic*word—
5Proto-Germanicwurdąword
6Proto-Indo-Europeanwerdʰo-word
7Proto-Indo-Europeanwerh₁-to speak, say
Every word from Proto-Indo-European werh₁- →