English
wait
Wait comes from Middle English waiten ‘to look at, behold’, from Frankish *wahtwēn ‘to watch, guard’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *weǵ- ‘to be fresh, cheerful, awake’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*weǵ-‘to be fresh’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*wahtwō‘guard’reconstructed
- Frankishc. 250–700*wahtu‘guard’reconstructed
- Frankish, derivedc. 250–700*wahtwēn‘to watch’reconstructedderivative of *wahtu
- Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400waiter
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500waiten‘to look at’
- Englishearliest quotation 1609–1612wait
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*weǵ-‘to be fresh’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*wahtwō‘guard’reconstructed
- Frankishc. 250–700*wahtu‘guard’reconstructed
- Frankish, derivedc. 250–700*wahtwēn‘to watch’reconstructedderivative of *wahtu
- Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400waiter
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500waiten‘to look at’
- Englishearliest quotation 1609–1612wait
Earliest quotation: 1609–1612, Francis Beaumont, The Captaine: “Hark! are the waits abroad?”
The story
In some senses, merged or influenced by Middle English waiten, weiten (‘to do good to, lie in wait for, to contrive good or harm on, catch, snare’), from Old Norse veita (‘to give help to, assist, grant, cause to happen’), from Proto-Germanic *waitijaną (‘to show, guide, advise, direct’), from Proto-Indo-European *weyd- (‘to see, know’).
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *weǵ- ‘to be fresh, cheerful, awake’
surveillance, awake, vegetation, vigorous, vigilant, vigil, vigour, invigorate, reveille, vajra, waken, waker, 9 more
Today it means
verb To delay movement or action until some event or time; to remain neglected or in readiness.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *weǵ- / wait