Where does “werden” come from?
werden (German) comes from Middle High German wërden, from Old High German werdan, from Proto-West Germanic werþan, from Proto-Germanic werþaną, from Proto-Indo-European wert-, from Proto-Indo-European wer- — to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel.
Ancestry of “werden”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle High German | wërden | — |
| 2 | Old High German | werdan | to be; to become; to happen |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | werþan | to become |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | werþaną | to become; to come to be, to come into existence;... |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | wert- | to turn, to rotate |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | wer- | to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel |