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from the equiv. MidHG. wërden, OHG. wërdan; a common Teut. vb.; comp. Goth. waírþan, AS. weorþan (obsolete in E.), Du. worden, ‘to become.’ The Teut. strong verbal root werþ has no corresponding and equiv. Aryan wert, yet it is undoubtedly connected with Lat. verto, ‘to turn,’ OSlov. vrŭtěti, vratiti, ‘to turn,’ Sans. vṛt, ‘to turn, roll’; ‘to turn’ developed in Teut. into ‘to become, arise’ (comp. Sans. sam vṛt, ‘to arise’). The earlier meaning ‘to turn’ is rightly supposed to exist in the suffix -wärts (which see), as well as in MidHG. wirtel, ‘spindle ring,’ equiv. to OSlov. vrěteno, ‘distaff.’ Werder, m., ‘small island in a river,’ from MidHG. węrt (d), m., ‘island, peninsula,’ OHG. węrid, warid, f., ‘island.’ Corresponding to AS. waroð, ‘bank, shore,’ with AS. wœr, OIc. ver, n., ‘sea’ (for the meaning comp. Au). Its primit. kinship with Sans. vâr, ‘water,’ is not certain. werfen, vb., ‘to cast, throw,’ from the equiv. MidHG. wërfen, OHG. wërfan (wërpfan); a common Teut. str. vb.; comp. Goth. waírpan, OIc. verpa, AS. weorpan, E. to warp, Du. werpen, OSax. wërpan, ‘to throw.’ From Teut. are borrowed OFr. guerpir, Fr. déguerpir, ‘to leave in the lurch.’ The Teut. root werp contained in these words is based upon werq, from pre-Teut. werg (comp. Wolf with Gr. λύκος, fünf with quinque, and vier with quattnor); the primit. allied Sans. vṛj, ‘to throw down,’ and OSlov. vrŭgą (vrěšti), ‘to throw,’ have a guttural sound. Allied to the following word and to Würfel. Werft (1.), m., ‘woof,’ from MidHG. and OHG. warf, n. (comp. ModHG. Hüfte from MidHG. huf), ‘warp, yarn, or thread for the warp.’ Corresponding to the equiv. AS. wearp, E. warp, OIc. varp, which are usually derived from the vb. werfen. Lith. verpti, ‘to spin,’ is perhaps derived from the Ger. word. Werft (2.), £. and n., ‘wharf,’ ModHG. only; borrowed from LG., like many nautical expressions; comp. Du. werf (scheepstimmerwerf), E. wharf, and the equiv. Swed. varf. The word cannot, on account of the consonants, be connected with werfen. The cognates signify lit. ‘work-place,’ and are related to the verbal root of werben (which see). Werg, n., ‘tow, oakum,’ from the equiv. MidHG. wërch, wërc (for the double form comp. Storch), OHG. wërah (hh), and wërc, |
n.; also OHG. âwirihhi, âwurihhi, n., ‘tow, stuppa.’ The OHG. and MidHG. forms of Werg are identical with those of Werf, hence the former is usually derived from the latter; this, however, does not explain the development of meaning. OHG. âwurihhi, ‘tow,’ may be connected with Werf and wirken, since it means ‘the refuse produced by work.’ Perhaps the simple word was developed from the compound.
Wergeld, n., from the equiv. MidHG. wërgëld, ‘fine for slaughter,’ lit. ‘man's, person’s money.’ For the first component comp. Werwolf, Welt. Werk, n., ‘work, deed, production,’ from the equiv. MidHG. wërc (wërch), OHG. wërc, wërah (hh), n.; for the double forms comp. the cognate Werg. Based on a common Teut. werko-, ‘work,’ which is attested by OIc. verk, AS. weorc, E. work, Du. and OSax. wërk. For further details concerning the root, to which Gr. ἔργον is allied, see wirken. Wermut, m., ‘wormwood, bitterness,’ from the equiv. MidHG. wërmuot, wërmüete, f. and n., OHG. wërmuota (wormuota), f. There is no clear etymological connection with Wurm, to which this uncompounded word (comp. Armut) is instinctively allied (comp. E. wormwood, from AS. wërmôd, wormôd). Its relation to warm too is not certain. Wert (1.), m., equiv. to Werder, ‘river island.’ Wert (2.), m., ‘worth, value, price,’ from the equiv. MidHG. wërt (d), OHG. wërd, n., ‘price, costly articles, splendour’; comp. OSax. wërð, ‘hero, reward,’ Goth. waírþs, ‘worth, price'; an adj. used as a subst. Based on the adj. wert, ‘worth, dear,’ from MidHG. wërt (d), OHG. wërd, ‘costing a certain price, saleable at,’ then absolutely ‘of high worth, splendid, distinguished.’ Corresponding to Goth. waírþs, ‘worthy, fit,’ AS. weorþ, and E. worth. On account of its meaning its connection with werden is improbable. Lith. wertas and OSlov. vrĕdŭ, with which it is sometimes compared, are probably Teut. loanwords. It may be related to the Aryan root wor, ‘to regard, contemplate’ (see wahren), of which wert might be a particip. derivative in the sense of ‘esteemed'; see also Ware. Werwolf, m., ‘werewolf,’ from the equiv. MidHG. wërwolf (not recorded in OHG.). It is undoubtedly based on an OTeut. word; comp. AS. wërewulf, E. were- |
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