Where does “want” come from?

want (Middle Low German) comes from Old Saxon wand, from Proto-West Germanic *wandu, from Proto-Germanic wanduz, from Proto-Indo-European wendʰ- — to wind, to turn.

Ancestry of “want”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Saxonwandmole, vole
2Proto-West Germanic*wandu
3Proto-Germanicwanduzmole; vole; rod, switch, stick
4Proto-Indo-Europeanwendʰ-to wind, to turn

Words derived from “want

Every word from Proto-Indo-European wendʰ-