wer-

I. wer-¹

To raise, lift, hold suspended. Oldest form *ə₂wer-.

1. Basic form *awer-. aorta, arsis, arterio-, arteriole, artery; meteor, from Greek āeirein, to raise, and artēriā, windpipe, artery.

2. Possibly from this root is Greek āēr, air (from an obscure basic form *āwer-): aerial, aero-, air, aria; malaria.

3. Zero-grade form *aur-. aura, from Greek aurā, breath, vapor (related to Greek āēr, air; see 2 above).

 

[Pokorny 1. u̯er- 1150.]

  II. wer-²

Conventional base of various Indo-European roots; to turn, bend.

Derivatives include stalwart, weird, vertebra, wrath, wrong, wrestle, briar¹, rhapsody, and worm.

I. Root *wert-, to turn, wind.

1. Germanic *werth-.

a.

(i) -ward, from Old English -weard, toward (< “turned toward”);

(ii) inward, from Old English inweard, inward, from Germanic *inwarth, inward (*in, in; see en). Both (i) and (ii) from Germanic variant *warth;

b. perhaps Germanic derivative *werthaz, “toward, opposite,” hence “equivalent, worth.” worth¹; stalwart, from Old English weorth, worth, valuable, and derivative noun weorth, wierth, value.

2. worth², from Old English weorthan, to befall, from Germanic *werthan, to become (< “to turn into”).

3. Zero-grade form *wr̥t-. weird, from Old English wyrd, fate, destiny (< “that which befalls one”), from Germanic *wurthi-.

4. versatile, verse¹, version, versus, vertebra, vertex, vertigo, vortex; adverse, anniversary, avert, bouleversement, controversy, converse¹, convert, dextrorse, divert, evert, extrorse, extroversion, extrovert, introrse, introvert, invert, malversation, obvert, peevish, pervert, prose, retrorse, revert, sinistrorse, subvert, tergiversate, transverse, universe, from Latin vertere, to turn, with its frequentative versāre, to turn, and passive versārī, to stay, behave (< “to move around a place, frequent”).

5. verst, from Russian versta, line, from Balto-Slavic *wirstā-, a turn, bend.

II. Root *wreit-, to turn.

a. wreath, from Old English writha, band (< “that which is wound around”);

b. writhe, from Old English wrīthan, to twist, torture;

c. wrath, wroth, from Old English wrāth, angry (< “tormented, twisted”). a-c all from Germanic *wrīth-, *wraith-.

III. Root *wergh-, to turn.

1. worry, from Old English wyrgan, to strangle, from Germanic *wurgjan.

2. Nasalized variant *wrengh-.

a. wring, from Old English wringan, to twist, from Germanic *wreng-;

b.

(i) wrong, from Middle English wrong, wrong, from a Scandinavian source akin to Old Norse *vrangr, rangr, curved, crooked, wrong;

(ii) wrangle, from Middle English wranglen, to wrangle, from a Low German source akin to wrangeln, to wrestle. Both (i) and (ii) from Germanic *wrang-.

IV. Root *werg-, to turn.

1. Nasalized variant form *wreng-.

a. wrench, from Old English wrencan, to twist;

b. wrinkle, from Old English gewrinclian, to wind (ge-, collective prefix; see kom). Both a and b from Germanic *wrankjan.

2. verge²; converge, diverge, from Latin vergere, to turn, tend toward.

V. Root *wreik-, to turn.

1.

a. wry, from Old English wrīgian, to turn, bend, go;

b. wriggle, from Middle Low German wriggeln, to wriggle. Both a and b from Germanic *wrīg-.

2.

a. wrist, from Old English wrist, wrist;

b. gaiter, from Old French guietre, gaiter, from Frankish *wrist-. Both a and b from Germanic *wristiz, from *wrihst-.

3. wrest, wrestle, from Old English wrǣstan, to twist, from secondary Germanic derivative *wraistjan.

4. Possibly o-grade form *wroik-. briar¹, brusque, from Late Latin brūcus, heather, from Gaulish *brūko-.

VI. ribald, from Old French riber, to be wanton, from Germanic root *wrib-.

VII. Root *werb-, also *werbh-, to turn, bend.

1. warp, from Old English weorpan, to throw away, from Germanic *werp-, *warp-, “to fling by turning the arm.”

2. reverberate, from Latin verber, whip, rod.

3. verbena, vervain, from Latin verbēna, sacred foliage.

4. Zero-grade form *wr̥b-. rhabdomancy, rhabdovirus, from Greek rhabdos, rod.

5. Nasalized variant form *wrembh-. rhombus, from Greek rhombos, magic wheel, rhombus.

VIII. Root *werp-, to turn, wind.

1. Metathesized form *wrep-. wrap, from Middle English wrappen, to wrap, from a source akin to Danish dialectal vravle, to wind, from Germanic *wrap-.

2. Zero-grade form *wr̥p-. raphe, raphide; rhapsody, staphylorrhaphy, tenorrhaphy, from Greek rhaptein, to sew.

IX. Root *wr̥mi-, worm; rhyme word to kʷr̥mi-.

1. worm, from Old English wyrm, worm, from Germanic *wurmiz.

2. vermeil, vermi-, vermicelli, vermicular, vermin, from Latin vermis, worm.

 

[Pokorny 3. u̯er- 1152.]

  III. wer-³

To perceive, watch out for.

Derivatives include wary, lord, reward, guard, and panorama.

I. O-grade form *wor-.

1. Suffixed form *wor-o-.

a. wary, from Old English wær, watchful;

b. aware, from Old English gewær, aware (ge-, collective and intensive prefix; see kom);

c. ware², from Old English warian, to beware. a-c all from Germanic *waraz.

2. Suffixed form wor-to-.

a.

(i) ward; lord, steward, from Old English weard, a watching, keeper;

(ii) warder², from Old English weardian, to ward, guard;

b. warden; award, reward, wardrobe, from Old North French warder, to guard;

c. guard; garderobe, regard, from Old French guarder,to guard;

d. rearward², from Anglo-Norman warde, guard. a-d all from Germanic *wardaz, guard, and *wardōn, to guard.

3. ware¹, from Old English waru, goods, protection, guard, from Germanic *warō.

4. Suffixed form *wor-wo-. Arcturus, pylorus, from Greek ouros, a guard.

5. Probably variant *(s)wor-, *s(w)or-. ephor, panorama, from Greek horān, to see.

II. Suffixed (stative) form *wer-ē-. revere¹, from Latin verērī, to respect, feel awe for.

 

[Pokorny 8. u̯er- 1164.]

  IV. wer-⁴

To cover.

Derivatives include overt, cover, warranty, garage, garrison, and garnish.

I. Basic form *wer-.

1. weir, from Old English wer, dam, fish trap, from Germanic *wer-jōn-.

2. Compound form *ap-wer-yo- (*ap-, off, away; see apo-). aperient, apéritif, aperture; overt, overture, pert, from Latin aperīre, to open, uncover.

3. Compound form *op-wer-yo- (*op-, over; see epi). cover, operculum; kerchief, from Latin operīre, to cover.

4. Suffixed form *wer-tro-. ambarella, from Sanskrit vāṭaḥ, enclosure, from lengthened-grade derivative *vārt(r)a-.

II. O-grade form *wor-.

1. warn, from Old English *war(e)nian, to take heed, warn, from Germanic *war-nōn.

2.

a.

(i) guaranty, from Old French garant, warrant, authorization;

(ii) warrant, warrantee, warranty, from Old North French warant, warrant, and warantir, to guarantee;

b. garage, from Old French garer, to guard, protect;

c. garret, garrison, from Old French g(u)arir, to defend, protect;

d. warren, from Old North French warenne, enclosure, game preserve;

e. garment, garnish, garniture, from Old French g(u)arnir, to equip. a-e all from Germanic *war-.

3. Suffixed form *wor-o-.

a. Germanic *warōn-, protector, in compound *burg-warōn- (see bhergh-²);

b. barbican, from Old Iranian compound *pari-vāraka-, protective (*pari-, around; see per¹).

 

[Pokorny 5. u̯er- 1160.]

  V. wer-⁵

Also werə-. To speak. Oldest form *werə₁-, with variant *wreə₁-, contracted to *wrē-.

1. Suffixed zero-grade form *wr̥-dho-. word, from Old English word, word, from Germanic *wurdam.

2. Suffixed form *wer-dho-. verb, verve; adverb, proverb, from Latin verbum, word.

3. Suffixed form *wer-yo-. irony, from Greek eirein, to say, speak.

4. Variant form *wrē-.

a. Suffixed form *wrē-tor-. rhetor, from Greek rhētōr, public speaker;

b. suffixed form *wrē-mn̥. rheme, from Greek rhēma, word.

 

[Pokorny 6. u̯er- 1162.]

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