Where does “wept” come from?
Wept is the past tense of English weep, ultimately derived from Proto-Indo-European roots meaning "to cry or lament."
wept (English): simple past tense and past participle of weep
Definitions
- simple past tense and past participle of weep
Ancestry of “wept”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | weep | To cry; shed tears; To lament; to complain; To... |
| 2 | Middle English | wepen | to weep |
| 3 | Old English | wēpan | weep, cry; to weep, complain, bewail, mourn over,... |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | wōpijan | to weep |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | wōpijaną | to cry out, to lament |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | weh₂b- | to call, cry, complain; to call, shout, complain |