English
worm
Worm comes from Middle English werm, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *wr̥mis.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*wr̥misreconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*wurmizreconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*wurmireconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150weorm
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500werm
- Englishearliest quotation a. 1398worm
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*wr̥misreconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*wurmizreconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*wurmireconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150weorm
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500werm
- Englishearliest quotation a. 1398worm
Earliest quotation: a. 1398, John Trevisa, Vol. I: “A forlyued cok leiþ eiren in his laste elde...…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *wer- ‘to turn’
wear, guard, ward, regard, con, garage, warn, beware, garrison, verge, optic, ware, weir, reverence, panorama, revere, wry, prosaic, guaranty, milliner, diorama, 68 more
through Proto-Indo-European *wr̥mis
vermin, vermilion, vermicelli, varmint, vermiculite, vermeil, 14 more
Today it means
noun A generally tubular invertebrate of the annelid phylum; an earthworm.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *wr̥mis / worm