Etymograph

English

varicose

Varicose comes from Latin varix ‘a varicose vein’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *wers- ‘to wipe’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*wers-1‘to wipe’reconstructed
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEvarix1‘a varicose vein’
  3. Englishtodayvaricose1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English varicose

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*wers-Wiktionary, English varicose‘to wipe’reconstructed
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEvarixWiktionary, English varicose‘a varicose vein’
  3. EnglishtodayvaricoseWiktionary, English varicose

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *wers- ‘to wipe’

war, horse, warrior, 9 more

Today it means

adj Abnormally swollen, dilated or knotty.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “varicose”. 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 *wers- / varicose

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