Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “wearing” come from?

Wearing derives from Middle English weren, Old English werian, Old English wesan, and Proto-Indo-European roots wes-, bʰew-, h₁ésmi, and bʰuH-, tracing back to ancient concepts of being and becoming.

wearing (English): intended to be worn; causing tiredness; causing...

Definitions

  1. intended to be worn; causing tiredness; causing...

Ancestry of “wearing”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishwearTo carry or have equipped on or about one's body,...
2Middle Englishwerien—
3Old Englishwyrġan—
4Proto-Germanicwurgijanąto strangle
5Proto-Germanicwargazoutlaw, criminal; wolf
6Proto-Indo-Europeanwerǵʰ-bind, squeeze; to bind, squeeze; to turn, twist,...
7Proto-Indo-Europeanwēr-true
8Proto-Indo-Europeanwer-to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel

Words derived from “wearing”

  • babywearing
  • wearingly
  • hard-wearing
Every word from Proto-Indo-European wer- →