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 *wértti, from *wert- (“to turn”), with semantic shift "to turn" > "to become (turn into)".

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈwer.θɑ.nɑ̃/

Verb

*werþaną

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

Inflection

Conjugation of *werþaną (strong class 3)

	active voice			passive voice
present tense	indicative	subjunctive	imperative	indicative	subjunctive
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 — Anglian, weorðan — edh spelling, wurþan — Late West Saxon
    • Middle English: werthen
      • Scots: worth
      • English: worth, word (dialectal)
  • 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: warrn

        German Low German: werden, worden

  • Old Dutch: werthan
    • Middle Dutch: werden
      • Dutch: worden
        • Afrikaans: word
        • Negerhollands: word
        • Petjo: worden
      • 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)