Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “waiten” come from?

waiten (Middle English) comes from Anglo-Norman waiter, from Frankish wahtwēn, from Frankish wahtu, from Proto-Germanic wahtwō, from Proto-Germanic wakaną, from Proto-Indo-European weǵ- — lively, awake; strong.

Ancestry of “waiten”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Anglo-Normanwaiter—
2Frankishwahtwēnto guard, protect; to keep watch
3Frankishwahtuwatch, guard; watch, guard duty, watchtower;...
4Proto-Germanicwahtwōwatch, vigil
5Proto-Germanicwakanąto wake, be awake, arise
6Proto-Indo-Europeanweǵ-lively, awake; strong

Words derived from “waiten”

  • waiting
  • wait
  • waitstaff
  • waitlist
  • waitest
  • outwait
  • waitee
  • waitingly
  • waitable
  • nonwaiting
  • waithood
  • overwait
  • prewait
  • postwait
  • wetim
Every word from Proto-Indo-European weǵ- →