Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “wrymouth” come from?

wrymouth (English) comes from English wry, from Middle English wrien, from Old English wrīġian, from Proto-Germanic wrigōną, from Proto-Indo-European wreyḱ-, from Proto-Indo-European wēr-, from Proto-Indo-European wer- — to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel.

wrymouth (English): Cryptacanthodes maculatus, a slim, eel-like fish

Definitions

  1. Cryptacanthodes maculatus, a slim, eel-like fish

Ancestry of “wrymouth”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishwryTurned away, contorted; Dryly humorous; sardonic...
2Middle Englishwriento cover
3Old Englishwrīġianto go, turn, twist, bend, strive, struggle, press...
4Proto-Germanicwrigōnąto wriggle
5Proto-Indo-Europeanwreyḱ-to twist; to bend
6Proto-Indo-Europeanwēr-true
7Proto-Indo-Europeanwer-to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel
Every word from Proto-Indo-European wer- →