Verb
/vɜːrb/noun
A word used to describe an action, state, or occurrence.
Did you know?“Verb” entered English through Latin grammar, but its deeper Indo-European root is the same one behind “word” and “proverb,” linking speech to ancient acts of naming and speaking things into order.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*wer-
“to speak, say”
Latin
Latin
verbum
“word, saying, speech”
Late Latin
Latin
verbum
“a word, especially one used in grammar”
Old French
Old French
verbe
“a verb; a word”
Middle English
English
verbe
“a verb”
Modern English
English
verb
“a word expressing action, state, or occurrence”