Etymology Map
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Winter

3 stages from Proto-Germanic to English.

Today it means the coldest season of the year

Where does the word "winter" come from? It comes from Proto-Germanic wintruz, passing through Old English before entering English (1500s).

1
Stage 1 of 3
wintruz
Proto-Germanic · ancient
"winter"
perhaps 'the wet season', from the root of 'water' and 'wet'
2
Stage 2 of 3
winter
Old English · 700s-1000s
"winter, year"
Anglo-Saxons counted age in winters: a man might be thirty winters old
3
Stage 3 of 3
winter
English · 1500s
"winter"
'winter' as a verb, to spend the winter, dates from the 1300s
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Read the full story

Winter’s story begins in Proto-Germanic: wintruz meant “winter.” Perhaps 'the wet season', from the root of 'water' and 'wet'. By 700s-1000s, the word had taken hold in Old English as winter. Anglo-Saxons counted age in winters: a man might be thirty winters old. It reached English by 1500s as winter. 'winter' as a verb, to spend the winter, dates from the 1300s. Today, winter means the coldest season of the year.