Warn
/wɔːrn/noun
To tell someone about danger or a possible problem in advance.
Did you know?“Warn” is one of those old Germanic words that has long carried the social power of summoning attention to danger, not unlike a spoken protective spell.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*wer-
“to watch, notice, be on guard”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*warjaną
“to protect, defend, take heed”
Old English
OE
varnian / warnian
“to warn, admonish, alert”
Middle English
English
warnen
“to warn, give notice of danger”
Modern English
English
warn
“to tell someone about danger or a problem in advance”