Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “wreath” come from?

wreath (English) comes from Middle English wreth, from Old English *wreoþa, from West Germanic *wriþō, from Germanic *wriþô, from Proto-Indo-European wreyt-, from Proto-Indo-European wer- — to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel.

wreath (English): Something twisted, intertwined, or curled; An...

Definitions

  1. Something twisted, intertwined, or curled; An...

Ancestry of “wreath”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishwreth—
2Old English*wreoþa—
3West Germanic*wriþō—
4Germanic*wriþô—
5Proto-Indo-Europeanwreyt-to twist
6Proto-Indo-Europeanwer-to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel

Words derived from “wreath”

  • wreathe
  • wreathen
  • wreathy
  • enwreathe
  • wreather
  • wreathlike
  • wreathless
  • wreathmaker
  • unwreathe
  • wreathmaking
  • interwreathe
  • upwreath
  • หรีด
Every word from Proto-Indo-European wer- →