Where does “twerken” come from?
twerken (German) comes from English twerk, from English twitch, from English quitch, from Middle English quicchen, from Old English cweċċan, from Proto-Germanic kwakjaną, from Proto-Indo-European gʷog- — to shake, swing.
Ancestry of “twerken”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | twerk | A puny or insignificant person, generally male; a... |
| 2 | English | twitch | A brief, small movement out of place and then... |
| 3 | English | quitch | To shake (something); to stir, move |
| 4 | Middle English | quicchen | — |
| 5 | Old English | cweċċan | to shake, swing, move, vibrate, shake off, give... |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | kwakjaną | to shake, shake about, jolt, swing; to shake,... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷog- | to shake, swing |