Etymology Explorer › English

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

  1. Great anger; Punishment; Wrathful; wroth; very...

Ancestry of “wrath”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishwratthe—
2Old Englishwrǣþþuwrath, fury
3Proto-West Germanicwraiþiþuanger, fury, wrath
4Proto-West Germanicwraiþextremely angry, irate, wroth; hostile, violent
5Proto-Germanicwraiþaztwisted, bent out of shape, anxious; extremely...
6Proto-Indo-Europeanwreyt-to twist
7Proto-Indo-Europeanwer-to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel

Words derived from “wrath”

  • wrathful
  • wrathfully
  • wrasse
  • wrathy
  • wrathfulness
  • wrathily
  • wrathless
  • wrathiness
  • wrathsome
Every word from Proto-Indo-European wer- →