anger (English)

Where does "anger" come from?

The English word 'anger' descends through Middle English 'anger'[1][2] from Old Norse 'angr'[1][2], meaning affliction or sorrow[1]. This Norse term developed from the Proto-Germanic '*angazaz'[1][2], meaning grief or sorrow, which traces back to the Proto-Indo-European root '*h₂enǵʰ-' meaning 'narrow, tied together'[1] or 'to tighten'[6]. The etymological family reflects an original sense of being choked or squeezed[1], a physical constriction preserved in related terms like 'anguish'[1]. Over time, the meaning shifted from physical or mental distress, grief, and trouble toward its modern definition of strong displeasure and hostility.

Open questions

• The Proto-Indo-European root may alternatively be reconstructed as '*h₂emǵʰ-' based on Hittite evidence. [5]

Full etymology tree

• anger (English), 'A strong and unpleasant feeling of displeasure, hostility, or antagonism, usually combined with an urge to yell, curse, damage or destroy things, or harm living beings, often stemming from perceived provocation, hurt, threat, insults, unfair or unjust treatment, or an undesired situation.'
  • borrowed 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'

Ancestors

• *h₂enǵʰ- (Proto-Indo-European)
• anger (Middle English)
• angr (Old Norse)
• *angazaz (Proto-Germanic)
• angren (Middle English)
• angra (Old Norse)

Cognates and doublets

• ang (Albanian)
• ἄγχω (Ancient Greek)
• anger (Danish)
• angre (Danish)
• angor (English)
• anguish (English)
• Angst (German)
• angra (Icelandic)
• angur (Icelandic)
• ango (Latin)
• anger (Norwegian Bokmål)
• angre (Norwegian Bokmål)

Descendants and derived words

• angry (English)
• anger balloon (English)
• anger bubble (English)
• angerful (English)
• angerless (English)
• angerlike (English)
• anger management (English)
• angerness (English)
• anger room (English)
• angersome (English)
• angertainment (English)
• angry (English)

Related words

• resentment (English)
• wrath (English)

Sources

1. anger (English) - Wiktionary
2. anger (Middle English) - Wiktionary
3. angr (Old Norse) - Wiktionary
4. angra (Old Norse) - Wiktionary
5. h₂enǵʰ- (Proto-Indo-European) - Wiktionary
6. angazaz (Proto-Germanic) - Wiktionary
7. angren (Middle English) - Wiktionary
8. h₂énǵʰos (Proto-Indo-European) - Wiktionary

Updated September 2026

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