Where does “warten” come from?
warten (German) comes from Old High German wartēn, from Proto-West Germanic wardēn, from Proto-Germanic wardāną, from Proto-Germanic *warduz, from Proto-Indo-European wēr-, from Proto-Indo-European wer- — to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel.
Ancestry of “warten”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old High German | wartēn | to watch, keep, look after |
| 2 | Proto-West Germanic | wardēn | to guard, to protect, to watch over |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | wardāną | to guard, protect, watch over |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | *warduz | — |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | wēr- | true |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | wer- | to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel |