Where does “reward” come from?
reward (Middle English) comes from Old French reward, from Old French rewarder, from Old French warder, from Old French guarder, from Frankish wardēn, from Proto-Germanic wardāną, from Proto-Germanic *warduz, from Proto-Indo-European wēr- — to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel.
Ancestry of “reward”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old French | reward | reward |
| 2 | Old French | rewarder | to reward |
| 3 | Old French | warder | Alternative form of guarder |
| 4 | Old French | guarder | to protect; to guard; to look at |
| 5 | Frankish | wardēn | to protect; to guard, protect, watch over; to... |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | wardāną | to guard, protect, watch over |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | *warduz | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | wēr- | true |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | wer- | to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel |