Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *werþaną ‎(“turn, become”), from Proto-Indo-European *wert- ‎(“turn”). Cognate with Old Frisian wertha, Old Saxon werthan (Dutch worden), Old High German werdan (German werden), Old Norse verða (Swedish varda, Norwegian Nynorsk verte), Gothic 𐍅𐌰𐌹𐍂𐌸𐌰𐌽 ‎(wairþan). The Proto-Indo-European root is also the source of Avestan 𐬬𐬀𐬭𐬆𐬙 ‎(varət-), Latin vertō, Albanian urth ‎(“climber, bellflower”), Proto-Baltic *wert- (Lithuanian ver̃sti), Proto-Slavic *vrьteti- (Russian верте́ть ‎(vertétʹ, “to rotate”)).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈweorθɑn/, [ˈweorðɑn]