world

The story

1. Proto-Indo-European*weyh₁-?
2. Proto-Indo-European*wiHrós
3. Proto-Germanic*weraz
4. Proto-Indo-European*h₂el-
5. Proto-Indo-European*h₂életi
6. Proto-Germanic*alaną
7. Proto-Germanic*aldiz
8. Proto-Germanic*weraldiz
9. Proto-West Germanic*weraldi
10. Old Englishweorold
11. Middle Englishworld
12. English todayworld

From Middle English world, from Old English weorold (“world”), from Proto-West Germanic *weraldi, from Proto-Germanic *weraldiz (“lifetime, human existence, world”, literally “age/era of man”), equivalent to wer (“man”) + eld (“age”). Eclipsed non-native Middle English mounde (“world”), from Old French monde, munde (“world”). Cognates Cognate with Scots warld (“world”), North Frisian Wārel, wäält, wråål (“world”), Saterland Frisian Waareld (“world”), West Frisian wrâld (“world”), Afrikaans wêreld (“world”), Bavarian Wöd (“world”), Dutch wereld (“world”), German, Luxembourgish Welt (“world”), German Low German Wereld, Werld (“world”), Vilamovian wełt (“world”), Yiddish וועלט (velt, “world”), Danish verden (“world”), Elfdalian wärd (“world”), Faroese verð, verøld (“world”), Icelandic veröld (“world”), Norn vrildan (“the earth”), Norwegian Bokmål verd, verden (“(the) world”), Norwegian Nynorsk verd (“world”), Swedish värld (“world”).