Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “writinge” come from?

writinge (Middle English) comes from Old English wrītende, from Old English wrītan, from Proto-West Germanic wrītan, from Proto-Germanic wrītaną, from Proto-Indo-European wēr-, from Proto-Indo-European wer- — to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel.

Ancestry of “writinge”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishwrītende—
2Old Englishwrītanto incise, engrave; to scratch, carve, write; to...
3Proto-West Germanicwrītanto scratch, to carve
4Proto-Germanicwrītanąto scratch, carve; to engrave, inscribe, write
5Proto-Indo-Europeanwēr-true
6Proto-Indo-Europeanwer-to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel
Every word from Proto-Indo-European wer- →