Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “wresten” come from?

wresten (Middle English) comes from Old English wrǣstan, from Proto-Germanic wraistijaną, from Proto-Indo-European wreyt-, from Proto-Indo-European wer- — to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel.

Ancestry of “wresten”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishwrǣstanto twist forcibly, wrench
2Proto-Germanicwraistijanąto wrest, to twist, to turn
3Proto-Indo-Europeanwreyt-to twist
4Proto-Indo-Europeanwer-to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel

Words derived from “wresten”

  • wrest
  • turnwrest
  • wrester
  • outwrest
  • overwrest
Every word from Proto-Indo-European wer- →