weorþan

Old English

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *werþaną (“turn, become”), from Proto-Indo-European *wert- (“turn”). Cognate with Old Frisian wertha, Old Saxon werþan (Dutch worden), Old High German werdan (German werden), Old Norse verða (Swedish varda), Gothic 𐍅𐌰𐌹𐍂𐌸𐌰𐌽 (wairþan). The 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 вертеть (“to rotate”)).

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈweorθɑn/, [ˈweorðɑn]

Verb

weorþan (strong class III)

1. to come to pass, become (often used as an auxiliary verb)
2. to happen

Conjugation

Conjugation of weorþan (strong class III)

indicative	present	preterite
1st-person singular	weorþe	wearþ
2nd-person singular	weorþest	wurde
3rd-person singular	weorþeþ	wearþ
plural	weorþaþ	wurdon
subjunctive	present	preterite
singular	weorþe	wurde
plural	weorþen	wurden
imperative
singular	weorþ
plural	weorþaþ
participle	present	past
	weorþende	worden

Descendants

• English: to worth