Where does “war” come from?

war (Middle English) comes from Old English wær, from Proto-West Germanic wār, from Proto-Germanic wēraz, from Proto-Indo-European wiHrós, from Proto-Indo-European weyh₁- — to chase, pursue; to suppress, persecute.

Ancestry of “war”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishwærcautious, on guard, watching out for something;...
2Proto-West Germanicwārtrue, reliable
3Proto-Germanicwēraztrue; reliable; friendly; kind
4Proto-Indo-EuropeanwiHrósman; husband; warrior, hero
5Proto-Indo-Europeanweyh₁-to chase, pursue; to suppress, persecute

Words derived from “war”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European weyh₁- →
war — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer