Where does “wrath” come from?
Wrath derives from Old English wrǣþþu, from Proto-West Germanic wraiþiþu, from Proto-Germanic -iþō, from Proto-Indo-European wer-, a root also reflected in Cornish wragh.
wrath (English): Great anger; Punishment; Wrathful; wroth; very...
Definitions
- Great anger; Punishment; Wrathful; wroth; very...
Ancestry of “wrath”, step by step
wrath traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English wratthe
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | wratthe | Wrath, anger, or an instance of it |
| 2 | Old English | wrǣþþu | wrath, fury |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | wraiþiþu | anger, fury, wrath |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | wraiþ | extremely angry, irate, wroth; hostile, violent |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | wraiþaz | twisted, bent out of shape, anxious; extremely... |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | wreyt- | to twist |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | wer- | to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel |