Etymograph

English

worm

Worm comes from Middle English werm, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *wr̥mis.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*wr̥mis1reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*wurmiz1reconstructed
  3. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*wurmi1reconstructed
  4. Old Englishc. 450–1150weorm1
  5. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500werm1
  6. Englishearliest quotation a. 1398worm1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English worm
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: a. 1398, John Trevisa, Vol. I: “A forlyued cok leiþ eiren in his laste elde...…”.

Earlier history uncertain. See Wiktionary.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*wr̥misWiktionary, English wormreconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*wurmizWiktionary, English wormreconstructed
  3. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*wurmiWiktionary, English wormreconstructed
  4. Old Englishc. 450–1150weormWiktionary, English worm
  5. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500wermWiktionary, English worm
  6. Englishearliest quotation a. 1398wormWiktionary, English worm. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: a. 1398, John Trevisa, Vol. I: “A forlyued cok leiþ eiren in his laste elde...…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *wer- ‘to turn’

wear, guard, ward, regard, con, garage, warn, beware, garrison, verge, optic, ware, weir, reverence, panorama, revere, wry, prosaic, guaranty, milliner, diorama, 68 more

through Proto-Indo-European *wr̥mis

vermin, vermilion, vermicelli, varmint, vermiculite, vermeil, 14 more

Today it means

noun A generally tubular invertebrate of the annelid phylum; an earthworm.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “worm”. 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 *wr̥mis / worm

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