源etymfun
About

Etymology data from Wiktionary via Wiktextract (CC BY-SA 4.0). Chinese character data from the 說文解字, the Taiwan MOE 國語辭典簡編本 (CC BY-ND 3.0 TW) and HSK/TOCFL lists.

Explanations are written by a local model (gemma4) and only published after a verification pass against the cited sources. How it works.

English

world

/wɜːld/
The subjective human experience, regarded collectively; human collective existence; existence in general; the reality we live in.

    Etymology graph

    • inherited
    • borrowed
    • derived
    • parts
    • meaning component
    • sound component
    • related
    React Flow
    Press enter or space to select a node. You can then use the arrow keys to move the node around. Press delete to remove it and escape to cancel.
    Press enter or space to select an edge. You can then press delete to remove it or escape to cancel.

    Click a node to zoom in · double-click to open it

    Origin

    From Middle English world, from Old English weorold (“world”), from Proto-West Germanic *weraldi, from Proto-Germanic *weraldiz (“lifetime, human existence, world”, literally “age/era of man”), equivalent to wer (“man”) + eld (“age”). Eclipsed non-native Middle English mounde (“world”), from Old French monde, munde (“world”).

    Cognates

    Cognate with Scots warld (“world”), North Frisian Wārel, wäält, wråål (“world”), Saterland Frisian Waareld (“world”), West Frisian wrâld (“world”), Afrikaans wêreld (“world”), Bavarian Wöd (“world”), Dutch wereld (“world”), German, Luxembourgish Welt (“world”), German Low German Wereld, Werld (“world”), Vilamovian wełt (“world”), Yiddish וועלט (velt, “world”), Danish verden (“world”), Elfdalian wärd (“world”), Faroese verð, verøld (“world”), Icelandic veröld (“world”), Norn vrildan (“the earth”), Norwegian Bokmål verd, verden (“(the) world”), Norwegian Nynorsk verd (“world”), Swedish värld (“world”).

    From Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.

    Lineage

    • inheritedMiddle Englishworld
      • inheritedOld Englishweorold
        • inheritedProto-West Germanic*weraldi
          • inheritedProto-Germanic*weraldiz
            • derivedProto-Germanic*weraz
              • inheritedProto-Indo-European*wiHrós “man, freeman”
                • derivedProto-Indo-European*weyh₁- “to chase, pursue”
            • derivedProto-Germanic*aldiz
              • partProto-Germanic*alaną
                • inheritedProto-Indo-European*h₂életi
                  • derivedProto-Indo-European*h₂el- “grown, tall, big”
              • partProto-Germanic*-þiz
                • inheritedProto-Indo-European*-tis

    Related: Scots warld, North Frisian Wārel, Saterland Frisian Waareld, West Frisian wrâld, Afrikaans wêreld, Bavarian Wöd, Dutch wereld, Luxembourgish Welt, German Low German Wereld, Vilamovian wełt, Yiddish וועלט, Danish verden, Elfdalian wärd, Faroese verð, Icelandic veröld, Norn vrildan, Norwegian Bokmål verd, Norwegian Nynorsk verd, Swedish värld

    Words built on it: thought-world, half-world, open world, book world, World Court

    Meanings

    noun
    1. The subjective human experience, regarded collectively; human collective existence; existence in general; the reality we live in.
    2. The subjective human experience, regarded individually.
    3. A majority of people.
    4. The Universe.
    5. The Earth, especially in a geopolitical or cultural context, or as the physical planet.
    6. Any of several possible scenarios concerning The Earth, either as the physical planet, or in a geopolitical, cultural or societal context.
    verb
    1. To consider or cause to be considered from a global perspective; to consider as a global whole, rather than making or focusing on national or other distinctions; compare globalize.
    2. To make real; to make worldly.

    Sources

    • Wiktionary (via Wiktextract / kaikki.org) — CC BY-SA 4.0
    • Wiktionary: world