Where does “queer” come from?
queer (Middle Low German) comes from Old Saxon thwerh, from Proto-Germanic *þwerh, from Proto-Germanic þwerhaz, from Proto-Germanic þerh-, from Proto-Indo-European terkʷ- — to turn, spin.
queer (Middle Low German): oblique, off-center
Ancestry of “queer”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old Saxon | thwerh | contrary, against; bent, crooked |
| 2 | Proto-Germanic | *þwerh | — |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | þwerhaz | cross, adverse |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | þerh- | — |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | terkʷ- | to turn, spin |
Words derived from “queer”