Where does “worsted” come from?

Worsted comes from Middle English worste, from Old English wierrest, from Proto-Germanic wirsistaz and ubilaz, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European h₂upélos and h₂wep-, meaning bad or evil.

worsted (English): Yarn made from long strands of wool; The fine,...

Definitions

  1. Yarn made from long strands of wool; The fine,...

Ancestry of “worsted”, step by step

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-Germanic wirsistaz →Every word from Old English wierrest →Every word from Middle English worste →