Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “worseness” come from?

worseness (English) comes from English worse, from Middle English worse, from Old English wiersa, from Proto-Germanic wirsizô, from Proto-Indo-European wers-, from Proto-Indo-European wer- — to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel.

worseness (English): The state or condition of being worse;...

Definitions

  1. The state or condition of being worse;...

Ancestry of “worseness”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Englishworsecomparative form of bad: more bad; comparative...
2Middle Englishworse—
3Old Englishwiersacomparative degree of yfel: worse
4Proto-Germanicwirsizôcomparative degree of *ubilaz; worse
5Proto-Indo-Europeanwers-to wipe; peak, height
6Proto-Indo-Europeanwer-to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel
Every word from Proto-Indo-European wer- →