Etymology Explorer › Middle Low German

Where does “warden” come from?

warden (Middle Low German) comes from Old Saxon werðan, from Proto-West Germanic werþan, from Proto-Germanic werþaną, from Proto-Indo-European wert-, from Proto-Indo-European wer- — to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel.

Ancestry of “warden”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old SaxonwerðanAlternative form of werthan
2Proto-West Germanicwerþanto become
3Proto-Germanicwerþanąto become; to come to be, to come into existence;...
4Proto-Indo-Europeanwert-to turn, to rotate
5Proto-Indo-Europeanwer-to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel
Every word from Proto-Indo-European wer- →