Etymograph

English

wed

Wed comes from Middle English wedden ‘to marry’, from Old English weddian ‘to pledge’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *wedʰ-.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*wedʰ-1‘to pledge’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*wadją1‘pledge’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*wadjōną1‘to pledge’reconstructed
  4. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*waddjōn1‘to wager, to pledge’reconstructed
  5. Old Englishc. 450–1150weddian1‘to pledge’
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500wedden1‘to marry’
  7. Englishearliest quotation c. 1591–1595wed1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English wed
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: c. 1591–1595, William Shakespeare, The Tragedie of Romeo and Ivliet: “Affliction is enamoured of thy parts, and thou art…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*wedʰ-Wiktionary, English wed‘to pledge’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*wadjąWiktionary, English wed‘pledge’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*wadjōnąWiktionary, English wed‘to pledge’reconstructed
  4. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*waddjōnWiktionary, English wed‘to wager, to pledge’reconstructed
  5. Old Englishc. 450–1150weddianWiktionary, English wed‘to pledge’
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500weddenWiktionary, English wed‘to marry’
  7. Englishearliest quotation c. 1591–1595wedWiktionary, English wed. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: c. 1591–1595, William Shakespeare, The Tragedie of Romeo and Ivliet: “Affliction is enamoured of thy parts, and thou art…”

The story

Related also to gage, engage, and wage.

Full etymology on Wiktionary

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *wedʰ- ‘to pledge’

engagement, weed, bahu, 6 more

through Proto-Germanic *wadją ‘pledge’

wage, engage, gage, wedlock, 2 more

through Old English weddian ‘to pledge’

wedding

Today it means

verb To perform the marriage ceremony for; to join in matrimony.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “wed”. 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 *wedʰ- / wed

Shirt and support for this word