Etymology Map
Back to all words

World

3 stages from Proto-Germanic to English.

Today it means the Earth and all the people and things on it

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

1
Stage 1 of 3
weraldiz
Proto-Germanic · ancient
"age of man"
from 'wera-', man, plus 'aldi-', age: literally 'the age of man'
2
Stage 2 of 3
weorold
Old English · 700s-1000s
"human life, the world"
meant human existence and this earthly life, as opposed to the afterlife
3
Stage 3 of 3
world
English · 1500s
"the world"
'the New World' for the Americas dates from the 1550s
Drag to pan · scroll to zoom
Read the full story

World’s story begins in Proto-Germanic: weraldiz meant “age of man.” From 'wera-', man, plus 'aldi-', age: literally 'the age of man'. By 700s-1000s, the word had taken hold in Old English as weorold. Meant human existence and this earthly life, as opposed to the afterlife. It reached English by 1500s as world. 'the New World' for the Americas dates from the 1550s. Today, world means the Earth and all the people and things on it.