Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “wend” come from?

Wend comes from Middle English wenden, from Old English wendan, from Proto-Germanic wandijaną and windaną, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European wendʰ- meaning to turn or wind.

wend (English): To turn; change; To direct ; pursue one's way;...

Definitions

  1. To turn; change; To direct ; pursue one's way;...

Ancestry of “wend”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishwendento travel; to go
2Old Englishwendanto turn or change position; to change direction;...
3Proto-West Germanic*wandijan—
4Proto-Germanicwandijanąto turn
5Proto-Indo-Europeanwendʰ-to wind, to turn

Words derived from “wend”

  • went
  • wentest
  • forwent
  • wenteth
  • miswend
  • wending
Every word from Proto-Indo-European wendʰ- →