Wart
/wɔːrt/noun
A small, usually rough growth on the skin caused by certain human papillomaviruses.
Did you know?Wart comes from a Germanic word traced to the Proto-Indo-European root *wer-*, “to turn or twist,” a root also associated with words such as “writhe” and “wreath.”
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*wer-
“To turn, twist, or bend; a reconstructed root underlying the later Germanic form.”
Proto-Germanic
Proto-Germanic
*wartōn
“A wart or skin growth; the exact connection with the broader “turn” sense is reconstructed rather than directly recorded.”
Old English
Old English
wearte
“A wart or small bodily growth.”
Middle English
Middle English
warte
“A wart; a raised growth on the skin.”
Modern English
English
wart
“A rough, usually harmless skin growth, commonly caused by a viral infection.”