word

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

Word’s story begins in Proto-Germanic: wurdą meant “word.” Cognate with Latin 'verbum', as in 'verb'. By 700s-1000s, the word had taken hold in Old English as word. 'wordhord', word-hoard, was a poet's term for a person's stock of words. It reached English by 1500s as word. 'word of mouth' dates from the 1550s. Today, word means a single unit of language.

1. Stage 1 · Proto-Germanic · ancient wurdą "word", cognate with Latin 'verbum', as in 'verb'.
2. Stage 2 · Old English · 700s-1000s word "word, speech", 'wordhord', word-hoard, was a poet's term for a person's stock of words.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1500s word "word", 'word of mouth' dates from the 1550s.