Where does “werst” come from?

werst (English) comes from English verst, from Russian верста́, from Old East Slavic вьрста, from Proto-Slavic vьrsta, from Proto-Indo-European wert-, from Proto-Indo-European wer- — to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel.

werst (English): Obsolete spelling of verst; Obsolete spelling of...

Definitions

  1. Obsolete spelling of verst; Obsolete spelling of...

Ancestry of “werst”, step by step

werst traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English verst

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishverstA Russian unit of length, equivalent to about...
2Russianверста́verst unit of length equal to 1,066.8 m, used in many expressions
3Old East Slavicвьрстаage, couple, age-mate, verst {{gloss|measure of...
4Proto-Slavicvьrstarow, line, age, kind
5Proto-Indo-Europeanwert-to turn, to rotate
6Proto-Indo-Europeanwer-to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel

via English worst

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Englishworstsuperlative form of bad: most bad; superlative...
2Middle Englishworste
3Old Englishwierrestsuperlative degree of yfel: worst
4Proto-Germanicwirsistazsuperlative degree of *ubilaz
Every word from Proto-Indo-European wer-Every word from Proto-Indo-European wert-Every word from Proto-Slavic vьrsta