Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “varien” come from?

varien (Middle English) comes from Old French varier, from Latin variō, from Latin varius, from Latin vārus, from Proto-Indo-European h₂wer-, from Proto-Indo-European wēr-, from Proto-Indo-European wer- — to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel.

Ancestry of “varien”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Frenchvarier—
2Latinvariō—
3Latinvariusdiverse, different, various, variegated
4Latinvārus—
5Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂wer-to lift up; to moisten; to flow; to raise, hang
6Proto-Indo-Europeanwēr-true
7Proto-Indo-Europeanwer-to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel

Words derived from “varien”

  • vary
  • varying
  • unvarying
  • covary
  • unvaryingly
  • varyingly
  • varier
  • varieth
  • nonvarying
  • varify
  • variest
  • intervary
  • varisome
Every word from Proto-Indo-European wer- →