very

The story

1. Proto-Indo-European*weh₁ros
2. Proto-Italic*wēros
3. Latinvērus
4. Classical Latinvērāx
5. Early Medieval Latinvērāgus
6. Old Frenchverai
7. Middle Englishverray
8. English todayvery

From Middle English verray, from Old French verai (“true”), from Early Medieval Latin vērāgus, from Classical Latin vērāx, derived from vērus, from Proto-Italic *wēros, from Proto-Indo-European *weh₁ros. Distantly cognate with Old English wǣr (“true”). Over time displaced the use of a number of Germanic words or prefixes to convey the sense 'very' such as fele, full-, mæġen, sore, sin-, swīþe, (partially) wel.

Words from the same roots