wurst

The story

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*wert-
2. Proto-West Germanic · derived from*wursti“something turned or twisted”
3. Old High German · derived fromwurst
4. Middle High German · derived fromwurst
5. German · borrowed fromWurst“sausage, wurst”
6. English todaywurst

First attested in 1890. Borrowed from German Wurst (“sausage, wurst”), from Middle High German wurst, from Old High German wurst, from Proto-West Germanic *wursti (“something turned or twisted”), from Proto-Indo-European *wert-, *werd- (“to turn”). Akin to Old Saxon worst (“wurst”), Old English weorþan (“to turn, become”). Doublet of wors. Unrelated to worsted (“type of yarn”). More at worth (“to be, become, betide”).

Words from the same roots