| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000. |
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Appendix I
Indo-European Roots |
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| ENTRY: | werg- |
| DEFINITION: | To do. Oldest form *wer -, becoming *werg- in centum languages.
Derivatives include work, allergy, surgery, wrought, and orgy.
I. Suffixed form *werg-o-. 1a. work; handiwork, from Old English weorc, werc, work; b. boulevard, bulwark, from Old High German werc, work. Both a and b from Germanic *werkam, work. 2. erg, ergative, –urgy; adrenergic, allergy, argon, cholinergic, demiurge, dramaturge, endergonic, endoergic, energy, ergograph, ergometer, ergonomics, exergonic, exergue, exoergic, georgic, hypergolic, lethargy, liturgy, metallurgy, surgery, synergid, synergism, thaumaturge, from Greek ergon, work, action.
II. Zero-grade form *w g-. 1. Suffixed forms *wg-yo-, *wg-to-. a. wrought, from Old English wyrcan, to work; b. irk, from Old Norse yrkja, to work. Both a and b from Germanic *wurkjan, to work, participle *wurhta-. 2. Suffixed form *wg-t-. wright, from Old English wryhta, maker, wright, from Germanic *wurhtj -.
III. O-grade form *worg-. a. organ, organon, from Greek organon (with suffix -ano-), tool; b. orgy, from Greek orgia, secret rites, worship (< “service”). (Pokorny 2.  er- 1168.) |
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| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by the Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
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