Where does “werwulf” come from?

werwulf (Old Saxon) comes from Proto-West Germanic werawulf, from Proto-West Germanic wer, from Proto-Germanic wēraz, from Proto-Indo-European wiHrós, from Proto-Indo-European weyh₁- — to chase, pursue; to suppress, persecute.

werwulf (Old Saxon): werewolf

Definitions

  1. werewolf

Ancestry of “werwulf”, step by step

werwulf traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Proto-West Germanic werawulf

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-West Germanicwerawulfwolf-man, werewolf
2Proto-West Germanicwerman
3Proto-Germanicwēraztrue; reliable; friendly; kind
4Proto-Indo-EuropeanwiHrósman; husband; warrior, hero
5Proto-Indo-Europeanweyh₁-to chase, pursue; to suppress, persecute

via Proto-Germanic *werawulf

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-Germanic*werawulf—
2Proto-Germanicwer—

Words derived from “werwulf”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European weyh₁- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European wiHrós →Every word from Proto-Germanic wēraz →