Where does “wortlos” come from?
wortlos (German) comes from German wôrt, from Middle High German wort, from Old High German wort, from Proto-West Germanic word, from Proto-Germanic wurdą, from Proto-Indo-European werdʰo-, from Proto-Indo-European werh₁- — to speak, say.
wortlos (German): silent; taciturn
Ancestry of “wortlos”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | German | wôrt | — |
| 2 | Middle High German | wort | word; verb |
| 3 | Old High German | wort | word; verb |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | word | word |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | wurdą | word |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | werdʰo- | word |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | werh₁- | to speak, say |