Etymograph

English

wath

Wath comes from Middle English wath ‘a ford’, from Proto-Germanic *wēdiz ‘piece of cloth, garment’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *wedʰ- ‘to bind’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*wedʰ-‘to bind’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*wédʰ-e-ti‘to bind’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*wedaną‘to join, bind, tie’by way of Proto-Germanic *wēdizreconstructed
  4. Proto-Germanic, derivedc. 500 BCE–200 CE*wēdiz‘piece of cloth, garment’reconstructed
  5. Old Norsec. 800–1350vað‘a ford’
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500wath‘a ford’
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1885same form

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*wedʰ-‘to bind’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*wédʰ-e-ti‘to bind’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*wedaną‘to join, bind, tie’by way of Proto-Germanic *wēdizreconstructed
  4. Proto-Germanic, derivedc. 500 BCE–200 CE*wēdiz‘piece of cloth, garment’reconstructed
  5. Old Norsec. 800–1350vað‘a ford’
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500wath‘a ford’
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1885same form

Earliest quotation: 1885, R. S. Ferguson, The Beaumont Hoard, with some remarks on a pre-Roman road ne: “The Romans had a bridge across the Eden near…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *wedʰ- ‘to bind’

wedding, engage, wage, wed, gage, wedlock, bahu, 6 more

through Proto-Germanic *wedaną ‘to join, bind, tie’

weeds

through Proto-Germanic *wēdiz ‘piece of cloth, garment’

weed, 1 more

Today it means

noun A ford.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *wedʰ- / wath

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