English
war
War comes from Middle English werre, from Late Old English werre ‘armed conflict’, from Old Northern French werre, and ultimately from Frankish *werʀu ‘confusion; quarrel’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*wers-‘to mix up, confuse’reconstructed
- Frankishc. 250–700*werʀu‘confusion; quarrel’reconstructed
- Medieval Latinc. 600–1500werra
- Old Northern Frenchc. 842–1400werre
- Old Englishc. 450–1150same form‘armed conflict’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500same form
- Englishearliest quotation 1595war
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*wers-‘to mix up, confuse’reconstructed
- Frankishc. 250–700*werʀu‘confusion; quarrel’reconstructed
- Medieval Latinc. 600–1500werra
- Old Northern Frenchc. 842–1400werre
- Old Englishc. 450–1150same form‘armed conflict’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500same form
- Englishearliest quotation 1595war
Earliest quotation: 1595, Samuel Daniel: “...to war the Scot, and borders to defend...”
The story
Gradually displaced native Old English beadu, hild, ġewinn, orleġe, wīġ, and many others as the general term for "war" during the Middle English period. Also related to Old Saxon werran (‘to confuse, perplex’), Dutch war (‘confusion, disarray’), West Frisian war (‘struggle, resistance, defense, effort, exertion, activity’), and Romance terms borrowed from Germanic, such as Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish guerra (‘war’). Not likely related to worse or wurst.
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *wers- ‘to mix up, confuse, beat, thresh’
through Medieval Latin werra
Today it means
noun Organized, large-scale, armed conflict between countries or between national, ethnic, or other sizeable groups, usually but not always involving active engagement of military forces.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *wers- / war