Etymology Explorer › Middle High German

Where does “werfen” come from?

werfen (Middle High German) comes from Old High German werfan, from Proto-Germanic werpaną, from Proto-Indo-European werb-, from Proto-Indo-European wer- — to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel.

Ancestry of “werfen”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old High Germanwerfanto throw; to tear
2Proto-Germanicwerpanąto throw; to cast
3Proto-Indo-Europeanwerb-to throw, twist, bend; to turn, bend, twist; to...
4Proto-Indo-Europeanwer-to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel

Words derived from “werfen”

  • hinauswerfen
  • Zerwürfnis
  • entwerfen
  • werfen
  • wegwerf-
  • wegwerfen
  • verwerflich
  • verwerfen
  • Gesetzentwurf
  • Unterwerfung
  • Entwurf
  • unterwerfen
  • abwerfen
  • Hammerwerfen
  • Flammenwerfer
  • zerwerfen
  • vorwerfen
  • auswerfen
  • lança-chamas
Every word from Proto-Indo-European wer- →