Where does “wayward” come from?

Wayward comes from English away, derived from Old English onweġ, which combines Old English on with a word from Proto-Indo-European wert- meaning to turn or rotate.

wayward (English): given to wilful, perverse deviation from the...

Definitions

  1. given to wilful, perverse deviation from the...

Ancestry of “wayward”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishawayFrom a place, hence; Aside; off; in another...
2Middle EnglishawayOut, away , off; Sideways, to a side
3Proto-Indo-Europeanaweg

Words derived from “wayward

Every word from Proto-Indo-European aweg
wayward — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer