Where does “weirdo” come from?
weirdo (English) comes from English weir, from Middle English were, from Middle English weren, from Old English werian, from Proto-West Germanic waʀjan, from Proto-Germanic warjaną, from Proto-Indo-European wēr-, from Proto-Indo-European wer- — to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel.
weirdo (English): A strange, odd, eccentric person; An insane,...
Definitions
- A strange, odd, eccentric person; An insane,...
Ancestry of “weirdo”, step by step
weirdo traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English weir
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | weir | An adjustable dam placed across a river to... |
| 2 | Middle English | were | Second-person singular past indicative form of... |
| 3 | Middle English | weren | Plural past indicative form of been; Plural... |
| 4 | Old English | werian | to wear; to defend, protect |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | waʀjan | to clothe |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | warjaną | to ward off, to defend against; to thwart, to... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | wēr- | true |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | wer- | to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel |
via English weird
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | weird | Having an unusually strange character or... |
| 2 | Middle English | werde | Destiny, fate; the force that determines events |
| 3 | Old English | wyrd | fate, destiny; the Fates; event, occurrence |
| 4 | Old Persian | wurdi | flower |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | wurdiz | fate, destiny |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | wrti- | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | wert- | to turn, to rotate |