Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “wreth” come from?

wreth (Middle English) comes from Old English *wreoþa, from West Germanic *wriþō, from Germanic *wriþô, from Proto-Indo-European wreyt-, from Proto-Indo-European wer- — to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel.

Ancestry of “wreth”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old English*wreoþa—
2West Germanic*wriþō—
3Germanic*wriþô—
4Proto-Indo-Europeanwreyt-to twist
5Proto-Indo-Europeanwer-to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel
Every word from Proto-Indo-European wer- →