"W" Word Origins

worship

Old English

From Old English weorþscipe, literally "worth-ship" — the state of being worthy of honour.

Worsley

Origin

From either Old English personal name *Weorc, in the genitive case *Weorces + Proto-Brythonic *koɨd (“a wood”) + lēah (“wood clearing, glade”), or else from the feminine personal name *Worcgȳth, genitive singular *Weorcgȳthe + lēah. Also suggested is derivation from Proto-Brythonic *gwor- (“over-, above”) + celli (“grove”), with late Cumbric devoicing being evident in early forms.

worst

Old English

From Old English wierrest, the superlative form paired irregularly with "bad" and "worse," much like "good," "better," "best."

wort

Old English

From Old English wyrt, meaning "root, herb, or plant" — the same root as "root" itself and related to "orchard."

worth

Old English

From Old English weorþ, meaning "valuable" or "worthy" — the same root behind "worthy" and "worship."

worthen

Origin

From worth + -en.

worthiness

Origin

From Middle English worthynesse, equivalent to worthy + -ness.

Worthing

Old English

* The name of the village in Norfolk derives from Old English worþig (“enclosure”). * The name of the town in West Sussex derives from the unattested Old English personal name *Weorþ + -ing (“belonging to”).

Worthington

Origin

From the Old English personal name *Weorþ + -ing (“belonging to”) + tūn (“enclosure; settlement, town”).

worthless

Old English

From Old English weorþlēas, literally "worth-less."

worthly

Origin

From Middle English worthely, wurthlich, from Old English weorþlīċ (“important, valuable, splendid, worthy, estimable, honorable, distinguished, exalted, fit, becoming”), from Proto-Germanic *werþalīkaz (“worthy”), equivalent to worth + -ly. Cognate with Old Frisian werdelik, Old Saxon werthlīk, Old High German werdlīh.

worthwhile

Origin

A fusion of worth (adjective) and while (a period of time) — literally "worth the while."

worthy

Old English

From Old English weorþig, built on worth plus the adjective suffix "-y."

wortlore

Origin

From wort + lore.

Wotan

German

Borrowed from German Wotan. Doublet of Woden and Odin.

wotcher

Origin

Representing an abbreviated pronunciation of various phrases.

wotsit

Origin

From wotsit, a variant of whatsit.

would

Old English

The past tense of "will," from Old English wolde.

wound

Old English

From Old English wund (noun) and wundian (verb), both from a common Germanic root.

woundable

Origin

From wound + -able.

wow

Origin

Borrowed from Scots, ultimately just a natural exclamation of surprise dating back centuries.

wowee

Origin

From wow.

Woz

Origin

Clipping of Wozniak.

Wozniak

Origin

Borrowed from Polish Woźniak.

WPS

English

An initialism, most commonly of Wi-Fi Protected Setup.

wrack

Origin

From Middle English wrake, wrache, wreche, from a merger of Old English wracu, wræc (“misery, suffering”) and Old English wrǣċ (“vengeance, revenge”). See also wrake.

wraith

Origin · 1500

First recorded in Scots in the early 1500s; its origin is uncertain, though some link it to "wrath" or "writhe" through a shared idea of something twisted or turned.

wraithy

Origin

From wraith + -y.

wrangle

Middle English

From Middle English wranglen, related to a Low German word meaning "to struggle or wrestle" — the same root behind "wring."

wrangler

Origin

From wrangle plus the agent suffix "-er."

wrangling

Middle English

From Middle English wranglyng, wranglinge, equivalent to wrangle + -ing.

wrap

Middle English

From Middle English wrappen, of uncertain origin, though it may be related to old Germanic words for pressing or stuffing something.

wrapped

Origin · 2016

Popularized by "Spotify Wrapped," launched in 2016.

wrapper

Origin

From wrap plus the agent/instrument suffix "-er."

wrapping

Middle English

From Middle English wrappinge, wrappynge, equivalent to wrap + -ing.

wrath

Old English

From Old English wrǣþþu, built on the adjective "wroth" ("angry") plus a suffix forming abstract nouns — much like "warmth" from "warm."

wrawl

Origin

From Middle English wrawlen. Compare Danish vråle.

Wray

Old Norse

From Old Norse vrá (“nook, corner, recess”).

wreak

Old English

From Old English wrecan, "to drive out, punish, avenge" — related to "wreck".

wreath

Old English

From Old English wrǣþ, meaning "something twisted or coiled" — a close relative of "writhe".

wreck

Old English

From Old Norse *wrek, related to Old English wrecan ("to drive"), the same root that gave us "wreak".

wreckable

Origin

From wreck + -able.

wreckful

Origin

From wreck + -ful.

wren

Middle English

From Middle English wrenne, wranne, from Old English wrenna, wrænna, werna, wærna, wrenne (“wren”), from Proto-West Germanic *wrandijō, from Proto-Germanic *wrandijô (“wren”). Cognate with Old Saxon wrendilo (“wren”), Old High German rento, rentilo (“wren”), Danish rindel (“wren”), Icelandic rindill (“wren”).

wrench

Middle English

From Middle English wrench, from Old English wrenċ, from Proto-Germanic *wrankiz, from Proto-Indo-European *wreng- (“to turn”). Compare German Rank (“plot, intrigue”).

wrength

Origin

Probably originally a nonce formation from wrong + -th (abstract nominal suffix) by analogy with strong ~ strength and long ~ length; compare Middle English wrengthe (“crookedness, distortion”).

wrest

Origin

From Middle English wresten, wrasten, wræsten, from Old English wrǣstan (“to twist forcibly, wrench”), from Proto-Germanic *wraistijaną, (compare Proto-Germanic *wrīhaną (“to turn, wind; to cover, envelop”), *wrīþaną (“to weave, twist”), Old Norse reista (“to bend, twist”)), from a derivative of Proto-Indo-European *wreiḱ-, *wreyḱ- (“to bend, twist”), *wreyt- (“to bend”). See also writhe, wry. The noun is derived from the verb.

wrestle

Old English

From Old English wrǣstlian, "to wrestle" — related to "wrest", meaning to twist or pull forcefully.