word
/wɜːrd/
noun
Origin
Proto-Indo-European
*were- — to speak
Overview
Meaning Now
- A single distinct meaningful element of speech or writing, used with others (or sometimes alone) to form a sentence and typically shown with a space on either side when written.
- A promise, pledge, or assurance.
- A brief statement or piece of information; news.
Literal older meaning
utterance, speech, or news
Language path
Proto-Indo-European → Proto-Germanic → Old English → Modern English
Earliest form
word
Earliest period
Old English
Journey
The word is part of the common Germanic stock, appearing in nearly all Germanic languages with similar meanings, ultimately derived from the PIE root *were- (to speak), which also gave rise to the Latin 'verbum'.
Evolution
- Proto-Germanic
*wurdą
“word”
- Old English
word
“word, speech, command”
- Middle English
word
“utterance, promise”
- Modern English
word
“meaningful unit of language”
Connections
Word parts
word
root
speech/utterance
Related across languages
German
Wort
word
Dutch
woord
word
Old Norse
orð
word
Explore next
Related to word
External references use DefinedTerm semantics.