Wermut (German)

Where does "Wermut" come from?

The German noun 'Wermut' descends through Middle High German 'wërmuote' and Old High German 'werimuota' from the Proto-West Germanic reconstructed form '*warjamōdā'[1]. The ultimate origins of this ancestral form are uncertain, though it may derive from elements meaning 'to defend against' and 'mind, sense' due to alleged mental curative properties, or alternatively from a root meaning 'to ache, fester' in reference to the plant's bitterness[2].

Open questions

The etymology of the Proto-West Germanic ancestral form is unknown, with competing theories suggesting a compound related to mental defense or a derivation from a root denoting bitterness. [2]

Full etymology tree

Wermut (German), 'wormwood (herb)'
- inherited wërmuote (Middle High German)
  - inherited werimuota (Old High German)
    - inherited *warjamōdā (Proto-West Germanic), 'wormwood'
      - compound *warjan (Proto-West Germanic), 'to ward off, to defend against'
        inherited *warjaną (Proto-Germanic), 'to ward off, to defend against'
        inherited *wer- (Proto-Indo-European), 'to burn'
      - compound *mōd (Proto-West Germanic), 'mind, sense'
        inherited *mōdaz (Proto-Germanic), 'mind, sense'
        inherited *mō-tó-s (Proto-Indo-European)
        inherited *meh₁- (Proto-Indo-European), 'to measure'
        influence *med- (Proto-Indo-European), 'to measure'

Ancestors

*warjamōdā (Proto-West Germanic)

Descendants and derived words

vermut (Catalan)
vermouth (French)
Wermutstropfen (German)
wermut (Polish)

Sources

Updated August 2026

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Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris