Where does “wormwood” come from?
Wormwood comes from Middle English wormwode, from Middle English wermode, from Old English wermōd, from Proto-West Germanic warjamōdā, which combines Proto-West Germanic mōd with Proto-Indo-European wer-.
wormwood (English): An intensely bitter herb used in medicine, in...
Definitions
- An intensely bitter herb used in medicine, in...
Ancestry of “wormwood”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | wormwode | Alternative form of wermode |
| 2 | Middle English | wermode | wormwood; Something that induces bitterness or... |
| 3 | Old English | wermōd | wormwood, absinthium |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | warjamōdā | wormwood |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | warjan | to ward off, to defend against |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | warjaną | to ward off, to defend against; to thwart, to... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | wēr- | true |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | wer- | to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel |