| 1 | Old High German | arbeit | — |
| 2 | Proto-West Germanic | arbaiþi | hardship |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | arbaidiz | labour, work, toil; hardship, suffering |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | h₃órbʰos | orphan; servant, slave, worker |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | h₃erbʰ- | to change allegiance, status, ownership;... |