Where does “wonder” come from?

Wonder comes from Middle English wonder, from Old English wundor, from Proto-Germanic wundrą, from Proto-Indo-European wen-.

wonder (English): Something that causes amazement or awe; a marvel;...

Definitions

  1. Something that causes amazement or awe; a marvel;...

Ancestry of “wonder”, step by step

wonder traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Middle English wonder

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishwondermarvel, wonder, strange or extraordinary thing or event
2Old Englishwundormiracle, wonder, marvel
3Proto-West Germanicwundrmarvel, wonder
4Proto-Germanicwundrąwonder, miracle
5Proto-Indo-Europeanwenh₁-to love

via Middle English wunder

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishwunder—

Words derived from “wonder”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European wenh₁- →Every word from Proto-Germanic wundrą →Every word from Proto-West Germanic wundr →