Where does “Bücherwurm” come from?

Bücherwurm (German) comes from German wurm, from Middle High German wurm, from Old High German wurm, from Proto-West Germanic wurmi, from Proto-Germanic wurmiz, from Proto-Indo-European wr̥mis, from Proto-Indo-European wer- — to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel.

Bücherwurm (German): bookworm

Definitions

  1. bookworm

Ancestry of “Bücherwurm”, step by step

Bücherwurm traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via German wurm

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Germanwurmwyrm, dragon
2Middle High Germanwurm—
3Old High Germanwurmsnake
4Proto-West Germanicwurmiworm; serpent, snake
5Proto-Germanicwurmizworm; serpent, snake
6Proto-Indo-Europeanwr̥misworm
7Proto-Indo-Europeanwer-to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel

via German būch

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Germanbūchbook collection of sheets of paper bound together to hinge at one edge; long work fit for publication
2Middle High Germanbuoch—
3Old High Germanbuohbook
4Proto-Germanicbōk—
5Proto-Germanicbakanąto bake
6Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰeh₃g-to bake, to roast, to fry
Every word from Proto-Indo-European wer- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European wr̥mis →Every word from Proto-Germanic wurmiz →