Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/werþaną

This Proto-Germanic entry contains reconstructed terms and roots. As such, the term(s) in this entry are not directly attested, but are hypothesized to have existed based on comparative evidence.

Proto-Germanic

Etymology

From Proto-Indo-European *wért-e-ti (“to turn”), with semantic shift "to turn" > "to become (turn into)".^[1] Typologically compare descendants of Latin tornō and *virō (see Italian viràre).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈwer.θɑ.nɑ̃/

Verb

*werþaną^[2]

(transitive) to become
(intransitive) to come to be, to come into existence
(intransitive) to happen, to come about
(auxiliary) used to form the passive voice, together with a past participle

Inflection

Conjugation of *werþaną (strong class 3)
present tense	indicative	subjunctive	imperative	indicative	subjunctive
	active voice			passive voice
1st singular	*werþō	*werþaų	—	*werþai	?
2nd singular	*wirþizi	*werþaiz	*werþ	*werþazai	*werþaizau
3rd singular	*wirþidi	*werþai	*werþadau	*werþadai	*werþaidau
1st dual	*werþōz	*werþaiw	—	—	—
2nd dual	*werþadiz	*werþaidiz	*werþadiz	—	—
1st plural	*werþamaz	*werþaim	—	*werþandai	*werþaindau
2nd plural	*wirþid	*werþaid	*wirþid	*werþandai	*werþaindau
3rd plural	*werþandi	*werþain	*werþandau	*werþandai	*werþaindau

past tense	indicative	subjunctive
1st singular	*warþ	*wurdį̄
2nd singular	*warst	*wurdīz
3rd singular	*warþ	*wurdī
1st dual	*wurdū	*wurdīw
2nd dual	*wurdudiz	*wurdīdiz
1st plural	*wurdum	*wurdīm
2nd plural	*wurdud	*wurdīd
3rd plural	*wurdun	*wurdīn

	present	past
participles	*werþandz	*wurdanaz

Derived terms

*frawerþaną

Related terms

*wurdiz

Descendants

Proto-West Germanic: *werþan
- Old English: weorþan, *wearþan — Mercian, weorðan — edh spelling, worða — Northumbrian, wurþan — Late West Saxon
  - Middle English: werthen
    - English: worth, word (dialectal)
    - Scots: worth (dated)
- Old Frisian: wertha
  - North Frisian:
    Mooring: wårde
    Föhr-Amrum: wurd
  - Saterland Frisian: wäide
  - West Frisian: wurde
- Old Saxon: werthan
  - Middle Low German: warden
    - Low German: werden, worden, warden, warrn, worrn
      German Low German: werden, worden
- Old Dutch: werthan
  - Middle Dutch: werden
    - Dutch: worden
      - Afrikaans: word
      - Negerhollands: word
      - Petjo: worden
      - → Papiamentu: wòrdu
    - Limburgish: waere
- Old High German: werdan, ƿerdan — Manuscript spelling
  - Middle High German: werden
    - Alemannic German: wërde
      Swabian: werra
    - Central Franconian: wääde, wääre (Moselle Franconian, but in limited use)
    - German: werden
    - Luxembourgish: wäerten
    - Pennsylvania German: waerre
    - Yiddish: ווערן (vern)
Old Norse: verða
- Icelandic: verða
- Faroese: verða
- Norwegian Bokmål: vart (past tense of bli, 1938-2005)
- Norwegian Nynorsk: verta, verte
- Elfdalian: werda
- Old Swedish: værþa, varþa
  - Swedish: varda
- Old Danish: warthæ
  - Danish: vorde (archaic)
    - → Norwegian Bokmål: vorde (archaic)
- Old Gutnish: warþa
Gothic: 𐍅𐌰𐌹𐍂𐌸𐌰𐌽 (wairþan)

References

^ Kroonen, Guus (2013), “*werþan-”, in Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 11)‎^[1], Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, pages 581-2
^ Vladimir Orel (2003), “*werþanan”, in A Handbook of Germanic Etymology‎^[2], Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, pages 457-458

[1] Kroonen, Guus (2013), “*werþan-”, in Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 11)‎^[1], Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, pages 581-2

[2] Vladimir Orel (2003), “*werþanan”, in A Handbook of Germanic Etymology‎^[2], Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, pages 457-458

[1]

[2]