Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “worthliness” come from?

worthliness (English) comes from English worthly, from Middle English worthely, from Old English weorþlīċ, from Proto-Germanic werþalīkaz, from Proto-Germanic werþą, from Proto-Germanic werþaz, from Proto-Indo-European wert-, from Proto-Indo-European wer- — to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel.

worthliness (English): The state or condition of being worthly;...

Definitions

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

Ancestry of “worthliness”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishworthlyHaving great worth or value; valuable; important;...
2Middle Englishworthely—
3Old Englishweorþlīċimportant, valuable, splendid, worthy, estimable,...
4Proto-GermanicwerþalīkazOf great worth; valuable; important
5Proto-Germanicwerþąworth, value; honour, dignity
6Proto-Germanicwerþazworthy, valuable
7Proto-Indo-Europeanwert-to turn, to rotate
8Proto-Indo-Europeanwer-to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel
Every word from Proto-Indo-European wer- →