Where does “weep” come from?

Weep comes from Middle English wepen, Old English wēpan, Proto-Germanic wēpną, and Proto-Indo-European wēbnom, ultimately from the Proto-Indo-European root weh₂b-.

weep (English): To cry; shed tears; To lament; to complain; To...

Definitions

  1. To cry; shed tears; To lament; to complain; To...

Ancestry of “weep”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishwepento weep
2Old Englishwēpanweep, cry; to weep, complain, bewail, mourn over,...
3Proto-West Germanicwōpijanto weep
4Proto-Germanicwōpijanąto cry out, to lament
5Proto-Indo-Europeanweh₂b-to call, cry, complain; to call, shout, complain

Words derived from “weep”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European weh₂b- →Every word from Proto-Germanic wōpijaną →Every word from Proto-West Germanic wōpijan →