Where does “guère” come from?
guère (French) comes from Old French guere, from Late Latin werra, from Frankish *werʀu, from Proto-Indo-European wers-, from Proto-Indo-European wer- — to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel.
guère (French): hardly, barely
Ancestry of “guère”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old French | guere | Alternative form of guerre; armed conflict... |
| 2 | Late Latin | werra | — |
| 3 | Frankish | *werʀu | — |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | wers- | to wipe; peak, height |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | wer- | to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel |