Etymograph

English

becare

Becare comes from Middle English bicaren ‘to care or worry about’, from Proto-West Germanic *karōn ‘to be sad’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ǵeh₂r- ‘voice, exclamation’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ǵeh₂r-1‘voice, exclamation’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*karō2‘complaint, lament, worry’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*karōną3‘to worry about, to be concerned about’reconstructed
  4. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*karōn3‘to be sad’reconstructed
  5. Old Englishc. 450–1150carian3‘to care about’
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500caren4‘to care’
  7. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500bicaren5‘to care or worry about’
  8. Englishearliest quotation 1968becare5

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Proto-Germanic *karō, which cites Kroonen
  2. 2 Wiktionary, Proto-Germanic *karōną
  3. 3 Wiktionary, Middle English caren
  4. 4 Wiktionary, Middle English bicaren
  5. 5 Wiktionary, English becare
  6. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1968, Bruno Bettelheim: “Counselors becare you. They give you clothes and candy.…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ǵeh₂r-Wiktionary, Proto-Germanic *karō, which cites Kroonen‘voice, exclamation’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*karōWiktionary, Proto-Germanic *karōną‘complaint, lament, worry’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*karōnąWiktionary, Middle English caren‘to worry about, to be concerned about’reconstructed
  4. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*karōnWiktionary, Middle English caren‘to be sad’reconstructed
  5. Old Englishc. 450–1150carianWiktionary, Middle English caren‘to care about’
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500carenWiktionary, Middle English bicaren‘to care’
  7. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500bicarenWiktionary, English becare‘to care or worry about’
  8. Englishearliest quotation 1968becareWiktionary, English becare. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1968, Bruno Bettelheim: “Counselors becare you. They give you clothes and candy.…”

Formed from be- + care

Proto-Indo-European *h₁epi ‘at, near’

Proto-Indo-European *h₁pi

Proto-Germanic *bi ‘near, by’

Proto-Germanic *bi-

Proto-West Germanic *bi-

English be-

Proto-Indo-European *ǵeh₂r- ‘to shout, call’

…

Proto-Germanic *karō ‘complaint, lament; worry, sorrow’

Proto-West Germanic *karu ‘care, worry’

Old English caru ‘worry, anxiety, care; sorrow’

Middle English care ‘grief’

English care

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *ǵeh₂r- ‘voice, exclamation’

charm, carelessly, carelessness, garrulous, 10 more

through Proto-Germanic *karō ‘complaint, lament, worry’

careful, careless, 9 more

through Middle English caren ‘to care’

caren, 1 more

Today it means

verb To care about; care for; provide or administer care to; take care of.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “becare”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Proto-Germanic *karō, Proto-Germanic *karōną, Middle English caren, Middle English bicaren. 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 *ǵeh₂r- / becare

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