word

word · noun, verb, interjection¹

1. Proto-Indo-European · inherited from*werdʰom“word”
2. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*wurdą“word”
3. Proto-West Germanic · inherited from*word
4. Old English · inherited fromword
5. Middle English · inherited fromword
6. English todayword

From Middle English word, from Old English word, from Proto-West Germanic *word, from Proto-Germanic *wurdą (“word”), from Proto-Indo-European *werdʰom (“word”), from *werh₁- (“to say, speak”). Doublet of verb, verve, and vort; further related to vrata. Cognates Cognate with Scots wird (“word”), North Frisian uurd, Uurt, wurd, wårde, wür (“word”), Saterland Frisian Woud, Wud (“word”), West Frisian wurd (“word”), Alemannic German wort, wourd, wuart, wòrt, wört (“word”), Bavarian boart, bort, bört, Wurt (“word”), Cimbrian bóart, bort (“word”), Dutch woord (“word”), German Wort (“word”), German Low German Woord, Woort (“word”), Limburgish waord, Woërt (“word”), Luxembourgish Wuert (“word”), Mòcheno bourt (“word”), Vilamovian wiüt, wuyt (“word”), Yiddish וואָרט (vort, “word”), Danish, Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk, and Swedish ord (“word”), Elfdalian uord (“word”), Faroese, Icelandic, and Scanian orð (“word”), Gutnish ård (“word”), Gothic 𐍅𐌰𐌿𐍂𐌳 (waurd, “word”); also Ancient Greek ῥητός (rhētós, “spoken, stipulated”); also Latin verbum (“word”), Umbrian 𐌖𐌄𐌓𐌚𐌀𐌋𐌄 (uerfale, “temple”), Ancient Greek εἴρω (eírō, “to say, speak, tell”), Latgalian vuords (“name; word”), Latvian vārds (“name; word”), Lithuanian var̃das (“name”), Russian врать (vratʹ, “to lie”), Serbo-Croatian ва̏рати, vȁrati (“to cheat, deceive, trick, swindle; to be mistaken”), Armenian հորջորջել (horǰorǰel, “to call, name”), Ashkun vīri (“word”), Kamkata-viri vëri, viri (“word”), Prasuni veri, verī, vëre, vëri (“word”), Sanskrit व्रत (vrata, “command; law; will”).

word · verb²

1. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*werþaną“to turn, turn into, become”
2. Proto-West Germanic · inherited from*werþan
3. Old English · inherited fromweorþan“to turn into, become, grow”
4. Middle English · inherited fromworthen
5. English todayword

Variant of worth (“to become, turn into, grow, get”), from Middle English worthen, from Old English weorþan (“to turn into, become, grow”), from Proto-West Germanic *werþan, from Proto-Germanic *werþaną (“to turn, turn into, become”). More at worth § Verb.

Word · proper noun³

1. Koine Greek · semantic loan fromλόγος
2. English todayWord

Semantic loan from Koine Greek λόγος (lógos).

Word · proper noun⁴

Ellipsis of Microsoft Word; from word.

Words from the same roots

First known use, by meaning

• from 19th c. A unit of text equivalent to five characters and one space.
• from 20th c. A fixed-size group of bits handled as a unit by a machine and which can be stored in or retrieved from a typical register (so that it has the same size as such a register).
• from 20th c. With regards to Intel or Intel-compatible hardware and/or in the context of Windows programming, a group of exactly 16 bits regardless of the actual processor capabilities; a fossilized unit referring to the small word size of historical CPUs.
• from 20th c. A finite string that is not a command or operator.
• from 9th c The fact or act of speaking, as opposed to taking action. .
• from 10th c. Something that someone said; a comment, utterance; speech.
• from 10th c. News; tidings.
• from 10th c. An order; a request or instruction; an expression of will.