Where does “worth” come from?

Worth comes from Middle English worth, from Old English weorþ, from Proto-Germanic werþaz, from Proto-Indo-European wert-, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European wer-.

worth (English): Having a value of; proper to be exchanged for;...

Definitions

  1. Having a value of; proper to be exchanged for;...

Ancestry of “worth”, step by step

worth traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Middle English worth

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishworthto become
2Old Englishweorþworth, deserving; honoured, esteemed; worth,...
3Proto-Germanicwerþazworthy, valuable
4Proto-Indo-Europeanwert-to turn, to rotate
5Proto-Indo-Europeanwer-to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel

via Proto-West Germanic werþan

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-West Germanicwerþanto become
2Proto-Germanicwerþanąto become; to come to be, to come into existence;...

Words derived from “worth”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European wer- →