Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “worthfulness” come from?

worthfulness (English) comes from English worthful, from English worth, from English worthwhile, from English while, from Middle English whyle, from Old English hwīl, from Proto-West Germanic hwīlu, from Proto-Germanic hwīlō — to rest; rest, peace.

worthfulness (English): Quality of being worthful

Definitions

  1. Quality of being worthful

Ancestry of “worthfulness”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishworthfulFull of worth, merit or value
2EnglishworthHaving a value of; proper to be exchanged for;...
3EnglishworthwhileGood and important enough to spend time, effort,...
4EnglishwhileAn uncertain duration of time, a period of time;...
5Middle Englishwhyle—
6Old Englishhwīltime; while; while; time, while
7Proto-West Germanichwīluperiod of rest, pause; time, period of time,...
8Proto-Germanichwīlōtime, period of time, while; period of rest,...
9Proto-Indo-Europeankʷyeh₁-to rest; rest, peace
Every word from Proto-Indo-European kʷyeh₁- →