Etymograph

English

awake

Awake comes from Middle English awaken ‘to awaken’, from Old English āwacan ‘to wake up’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *weǵ- ‘to be lively, awake’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*weǵ-1‘to be lively, awake’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*wakaną1‘to wake, be awake, arise’reconstructed
  3. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*wakan1‘to wake, be awake, arise’reconstructed
  4. Old Englishc. 450–1150wacan1‘to awake, arise, originate, to be born’
  5. Old Englishc. 450–1150āwacan1‘to wake up’
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500awaken1‘to awaken’
  7. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500awake1
  8. Englishearliest quotation 1836awake1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English awake
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1836, – 1837 October, (please specify the chapter name): “‘Sammy,’ whispered Mr. Weller, looking cautiously round; ‘[…] Me…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*weǵ-Wiktionary, English awake‘to be lively, awake’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*wakanąWiktionary, English awake‘to wake, be awake, arise’reconstructed
  3. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*wakanWiktionary, English awake‘to wake, be awake, arise’reconstructed
  4. Old Englishc. 450–1150wacanWiktionary, English awake‘to awake, arise, originate, to be born’
  5. Old Englishc. 450–1150āwacanWiktionary, English awake‘to wake up’
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500awakenWiktionary, English awake‘to awaken’
  7. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500awakeWiktionary, English awake
  8. Englishearliest quotation 1836awakeWiktionary, English awake. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1836, – 1837 October, (please specify the chapter name): “‘Sammy,’ whispered Mr. Weller, looking cautiously round; ‘[…] Me…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *weǵ- ‘to be lively, awake’

wait, surveillance, vegetation, vigorous, vigilant, vigil, vigour, invigorate, reveille, vajra, waken, 9 more

through Proto-Germanic *wakaną ‘to wake, be awake, arise’

waker, 1 more

Another origin of awake

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*weǵ-‘to be lively, awake’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*wakaną‘to wake, be awake, arise’reconstructed
  3. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*wakan‘to wake, be awake, arise’reconstructed
  4. Old Englishc. 450–1150wacan‘to awake, arise, originate, to be born’
  5. Old Englishc. 450–1150āwacan‘to wake up’
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500awaken
  7. Englishtodayawake

Today it means

adj Not asleep; conscious.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “awake”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *weǵ- / awake

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