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

Definitions

  1. hardly, barely

Ancestry of “guère”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old FrenchguereAlternative form of guerre; armed conflict...
2Late Latinwerra—
3Frankish*werʀu—
4Proto-Indo-Europeanwers-to wipe; peak, height
5Proto-Indo-Europeanwer-to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel
Every word from Proto-Indo-European wer- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European wers- →Every word from Frankish *werʀu →