angry (English)
Where does "angry" come from?
The English word 'angry' originates from the Old Norse term 'angr' meaning 'sorrow' or 'distress'. This root stems from the Proto-Germanic 'angazaz' and eventually traces back to the Proto-Indo-European root 'h₂enǵʰ-', which meant 'to constrict' or 'to tighten'. This reveals an ancient link between the physical sensation of tightness or suffocation and the emotional experience of pain, grief, and eventually anger.
Full etymology tree
- angry (English), 'Displaying or feeling anger.'
- derived anger (Middle English), 'Grief, painfulness, or discomfort; a feeling of pain or sadness.'
- borrowed angr (Old Norse), 'sorrow, resentment, distress'
- inherited *angazaz (Proto-Germanic), 'worry, grief, anxiety'
- derived *h₂énǵʰos (Proto-Indo-European), 'narrowness'
- derived *h₂enǵʰ- (Proto-Indo-European), 'to constrict, tighten, compress'
- derived *h₂énǵʰos (Proto-Indo-European), 'narrowness'
- inherited *angazaz (Proto-Germanic), 'worry, grief, anxiety'
- borrowed angr (Old Norse), 'sorrow, resentment, distress'
- suffix -y (English), 'Added to nouns and adjectives to form adjectives meaning “having the quality of”, either “involving the referent” or “analogous to it”.'
- derived anger (Middle English), 'Grief, painfulness, or discomfort; a feeling of pain or sadness.'
Direct ancestors
Updated July 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris