oker

The story

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*h₂ewg-“to add, increase”
2. Proto-Germanic · derived from*wōkraz“progeny, earnings, profit”
3. Old Norse · derived fromókr“usury”
4. Middle English · inherited fromoker
5. English todayoker

From Middle English oker, okur, okir, okyr, ocker, from Old Norse ókr (“usury”), from Proto-Germanic *wōkraz (“progeny, earnings, profit”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ewg- (“to add, increase”). Cognate with Scots ocker (“usury”), Icelandic ókur (“usury”), Swedish ocker (“usury”), German Wucher (“usury”), Dutch woeker (“usury”), Old English wōcor (“increase, growth, fruit, usury”), Gothic 𐍅𐍉𐌺𐍂𐍃 (wōkrs, “interest, usury, tax”), Latin augere (“to increase”). More at eke, wax.

Words from the same roots