Where does “queer” come from?

queer (German) comes from English queer, from Middle Low German queer, from Old Saxon thwerh, from Proto-Germanic *þwerh, from Proto-Germanic þwerhaz, from Proto-Germanic þerh-, from Proto-Indo-European terkʷ- — to turn, spin.

queer (German): Alternative form of quer; queer

Definitions

  1. Alternative form of quer; queer

Ancestry of “queer”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishqueerWeird, odd or different; whimsical; Slightly...
2Middle Low Germanqueeroblique, off-center
3Old Saxonthwerhcontrary, against; bent, crooked
4Proto-Germanic*þwerh—
5Proto-Germanicþwerhazcross, adverse
6Proto-Germanicþerh-—
7Proto-Indo-Europeanterkʷ-to turn, spin

Words derived from “queer”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European terkʷ- →Every word from Proto-Germanic þerh- →Every word from Proto-Germanic þwerhaz →