Where does “wake” come from?
wake (Middle English) comes from Old English wacu, from Old English ford, from Proto-West Germanic furdu, from Proto-Germanic furduz, from Proto-Indo-European pértus, from Proto-Indo-European per-, from Proto-Indo-European pr̥tós — passed , crossed.
wake (Middle English): Alternative form of woke
Ancestry of “wake”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old English | wacu | wake, watch |
| 2 | Old English | ford | ford |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | furdu | ford |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | furduz | ford |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | pértus | crossing |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | per- | before, in front; first; to go through |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | pr̥tós | passed , crossed |