Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “mansweren” come from?

mansweren (Middle English) comes from Old English mānswerian, from Old English swerian, from Proto-West Germanic swarjan, from Proto-Germanic swarjaną, from Proto-Indo-European swēr- — heavy.

Ancestry of “mansweren”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishmānswerianto forswear, perjure oneself
2Old Englishswerianto swear , to promise
3Proto-West Germanicswarjanto swear
4Proto-Germanicswarjanąto swear
5Proto-Indo-Europeanswēr-heavy

Words derived from “mansweren”

  • manswear
Every word from Proto-Indo-European swēr- →