Where does “wërfen” come from?
wërfen (German) comes from Middle High German wërfen, from Old High German werfan, from Proto-Germanic werpaną, from Proto-Indo-European werb-, from Proto-Indo-European wer- — to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel.
Ancestry of “wërfen”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle High German | wërfen | — |
| 2 | Old High German | werfan | to throw; to tear |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | werpaną | to throw; to cast |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | werb- | to throw, twist, bend; to turn, bend, twist; to... |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | wer- | to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel |