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War

4 stages from Frankish to English.

Today it means armed conflict between nations or groups

Where does the word "war" come from? It comes from Frankish *werru, passing through Old North French and Old English before entering English (1200s).

*werru→werre→wyrre→war

Frankish · ancient

'confusion, strife'; the Romance languages took this Germanic word (French guerre, Spanish guerra), perhaps because Latin bellum sounded like bellus 'pretty'

Old North French · 1000s

Norman kept the w- that Central French turned into gu- (guerre)

Old English · 1120s

first recorded in the Peterborough Chronicle, in its annal for 1116 written about 1121, for Henry I's fighting in Normandy; it replaced native words like gūþ and wīg

English · 1200s

"armed conflict"

the 'Hundred Years' War' (1337-1453) is a name coined by historians in the 1800s

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War’s story begins in Frankish: *werru meant “strife.” 'confusion, strife'; the Romance languages took this Germanic word (French guerre, Spanish guerra), perhaps because Latin bellum sounded like bellus 'pretty'. By 1000s, the word had taken hold in Old North French as werre. Norman kept the w- that Central French turned into gu- (guerre). From there it passed into Old English as wyrre by 1120s. First recorded in the Peterborough Chronicle, in its annal for 1116 written about 1121, for Henry I's fighting in Normandy; it replaced native words like gūþ and wīg. It reached English by 1200s as war. The 'Hundred Years' War' (1337-1453) is a name coined by historians in the 1800s. Today, war means armed conflict between nations or groups.