Where does “werefolk” come from?
werefolk (English) comes from English were, from English werewolf, from Middle English werwolf, from Old English werewulf, from Old English wer, from Proto-Germanic wer, from Proto-Germanic wēraz, from Proto-Indo-European wiHrós — to chase, pursue; to suppress, persecute.
werefolk (English): werecreatures
Definitions
- werecreatures
Ancestry of “werefolk”, step by step
werefolk traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English were
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | were | second-person singular simple past indicative of... |
| 2 | English | werewolf | A person who is transformed or can transform into... |
| 3 | Middle English | werwolf | — |
| 4 | Old English | werewulf | werewolf |
| 5 | Old English | wer | man; husband; hero, warrior |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | wer | — |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | wēraz | true; reliable; friendly; kind |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | wiHrós | man; husband; warrior, hero |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | weyh₁- | to chase, pursue; to suppress, persecute |
via English folk
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | folk | Of or pertaining to the inhabitants of a land,... |
| 2 | German | volk | people, nation, folk, tribe, race group united by culture, history, descent, and/or language |
| 3 | Middle High German | volc | — |
| 4 | Old High German | folc | folk; people collectively, nation; people, nation |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | folk | people, tribe |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | fulką | people; tribe |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | pleh₁- | to fill |