Etymology Explorer › Old English

Where does “hweorflian” come from?

hweorflian (Old English) comes from Old English hweorfan, from Proto-Germanic hwerbaną, from Proto-Indo-European kʷerp- — to turn; to whirl, to twist.

Ancestry of “hweorflian”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishhweorfanto turn, change; to depart, go, proceed; to...
2Proto-Germanichwerbanąto turn; turn around; to move; move about; to...
3Proto-Indo-Europeankʷerp-to turn; to whirl, to twist

Words derived from “hweorflian”

  • whirling
  • whirl
  • whorl
  • whorled
  • awhirl
  • whirly
  • whirlin
  • whirlybird
  • whirler
  • whirlingly
  • whirlabout
  • whirlblast
  • whorly
  • whirlsome
  • Tilt-A-Whirl
  • upwhirl
  • outwhirl
  • fire whirl
  • whirlen
  • whervelen
Every word from Proto-Indo-European kʷerp- →