Etymology Explorer › Old English

Where does “underwritan” come from?

underwritan (Old English) comes from Old English wrītan, from Proto-West Germanic wrītan, from Proto-Germanic wrītaną, from Proto-Indo-European wēr-, from Proto-Indo-European wer- — to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel.

underwritan (Old English): to write at the foot of, write under, subscribe

Definitions

  1. to write at the foot of, write under, subscribe

Ancestry of “underwritan”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishwrītanto incise, engrave; to scratch, carve, write; to...
2Proto-West Germanicwrītanto scratch, to carve
3Proto-Germanicwrītanąto scratch, carve; to engrave, inscribe, write
4Proto-Indo-Europeanwēr-true
5Proto-Indo-Europeanwer-to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel

Words derived from “underwritan”

  • underwriter
  • underwrite
  • underwriten
Every word from Proto-Indo-European wer- →