Words · English
English: W
wasp
stinging insect Drafted; not yet checked.
Relatives of English wasp
The old word was waps. English kept it (Old English wæps, the letters swapped later), Latin and Lithuanian kept the w, and Russian lost both the w and the p.
Drafted; not yet checked. Play Family Reunion
water
clear liquid of rain, rivers and seas Drafted; not yet checked.
Relatives of English water
d became t in English and s in German; Greek lost the w and gained an h.
Drafted; not yet checked. Play Family Reunion
white
the color of snow Drafted; not yet checked.
Relatives of English white
The old k became hw in Gothic (hweits) and wh in English; German lost the h (weiß). Sanskrit turned it into ś (śveta).
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who
which person Drafted; not yet checked.
Relatives of English who
The old k became h in Germanic, with a w after it (Gothic hwas, Old English hwā). Latin and Lithuanian kept the k. English later dropped the w in who.
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widow
woman whose husband has died Drafted; not yet checked.
Relatives of English widow
The root means 'to be bereft'. Latin v was sounded w, as in English. Sanskrit kept the breathy dh (vidhavā); Latin and English have a plain d. German moved that d on to t (Witwe).
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wind
moving air Drafted; not yet checked.
Relatives of English wind
Germanic and Latin share the -nt- of the old word (Latin ventus, Gothic winds). The old t became d in the Germanic words (Old Norse vindr, English wind). Latin v was said as w.
Drafted; not yet checked. Play Family Reunion
wolf
wild animal of the dog family Drafted; not yet checked.
Relatives of English wolf
Lithuanian kept the old k. The old k-and-w sound became f in English wolf (as in four) and p in Latin lupus.
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word
unit of language Drafted; not yet checked.
Relatives of English word
The old breathy dh became d in English and Gothic, t in German (Wort) and b in Latin (verbum). The root means 'to speak'.
Drafted; not yet checked. Play Family Reunion
worm
small soft creature without legs Drafted; not yet checked.
Relatives of English worm
The w and m held in every branch; only the vowels differ (worm, Wurm, waurms, vermis).
Drafted; not yet checked. Play Family Reunion