Where does “careful” come from?

careful (Middle English) comes from Old English carful, from Old English caru, from Proto-West Germanic karu, from Proto-Germanic karō, from Proto-Indo-European ǵeh₂r- — to shout, cry; exclamation; voice; to call, cry.

Ancestry of “careful”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishcarfulanxious; careful
2Old Englishcaruworry, anxiety, care; sorrow, grief
3Proto-West Germanickarucare, worry
4Proto-Germanickarōcomplaint, lament, grievance, moan; worry,...
5Proto-Indo-Europeanǵeh₂r-to shout, cry; exclamation; voice; to call, cry

Words derived from “careful”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European ǵeh₂r- →Every word from Proto-Germanic karō →Every word from Proto-West Germanic karu →