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*werǵ-

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Etymology and origin of the Proto-Indo-European word *werǵ-

LIV sets up three roots of this shape: 'to shut in', 'to work, to make' and 'to shear'.[1][2][3]

*werǵ-1 to shut in

Confidence
Probable

Reconstruction

LIV's first root of this shape is *u̯erg̑- 'to shut in, to lock up', which LIV separates from *h₂u̯erg- 'to turn'.[1] Beekes reconstructs *h₁uerg- 'shut in, press',[4] and Matasović *h₁wreǵ- 'close'.[5]

Morphology

LIV reconstructs a root aorist *u̯érg̑-/u̯r̥g̑- from a Cyprian form and a full-grade e-present *u̯érg̑-e- from Greek ἔργω (érgō, “I shut in”); the s-aorist Ancient Greek ἔρξαν (érxan) and the perfect Ancient Greek ἔεργμαι (éergmai) are Greek innovations.[1] Nouns show a full grade II *u̯reg̑-, as in Vedic व्रज (vrajá-, “fold, pen”) and Old Irish fraig (“wall”).[1] Matasović speaks of Schwebeablaut.[5]

Evidence

The verb itself is known only from Greek, and Beekes finds no directly comparable formations in other languages.[1][4] Nouns are cited from Indo-Aryan and Celtic.[1][5]

Competing analyses

In Greek LIV sees a mixture with *h₂u̯erg- 'to turn', which explains forms with *eu̯erg- such as Homeric ἐέργω (eérgō).[1][6] Matasović instead derives ἐέργω from *h₁werǵ-, and Zair notes that a form without a laryngeal is also needed for ἔργω (érgō), so that Old Irish fraig may continue *u̯reg-i-.[5][6] Beekes thinks Avestan vərəziiąn 'they should fence in' is perhaps cognate,[4] but LIV reads it as a form of the verb 'to make', 2.*u̯erg̑-.[1] Beekes separates Lithuanian veržti (“to narrow in, to string”), which he derives from *uerǵʰ-.[4]

Meanings

  1. to shut in, to lock up,[1] to press[4]

Reflexes

  • Greek: Ancient Greek εἴργω (eírgō, “to fence in, to shut out”).[4]
  • Indo-Aryan: Sanskrit व्रज (vrajá-, “fold, pen”), as listed by LIV.[1]
  • Celtic: Proto-Celtic *wregi- (“wall, enclosure”).[5]

*werǵ-2 to work, to make

Confidence
Established

Reconstruction

LIV's second root of this shape is *u̯erg̑- 'to work, to make',[2] and Kümmel's addenda revise its formations.[7] Ringe and Sihler write *werǵ-,[8][9] Beekes *uerǵ- 'work',[10] Matasović *werǵ- 'do, make',[11] and Adams *werĝ- 'work, do'.[12]

Morphology

LIV reconstructs a root aorist *u̯érg̑-/u̯r̥g̑-, a zero-grade i̯é-present *u̯r̥g̑-i̯é-, a perfect *u̯e-u̯órg̑/u̯r̥g̑- and, with a query, an s-desiderative *u̯érg̑/u̯r̥g̑-s-.[2] The present is continued in Young Avestan vərəziieiti (“does, makes”), Mycenaean wo-ze, Greek ἔρδω (érdō) and Ancient Greek ῥέζω (rhézō), and Gothic 𐍅𐌰𐌿𐍂𐌺𐌾𐌰𐌽 (waurkjan), the perfect in Greek ἔοργε (éorge).[2] Kroonen likewise derives Proto-Germanic *wurkjan- from *urǵ-ie-, identical with the Avestan verb.[13] Beekes takes the full grade of ἔρδω from the noun Ancient Greek ἔργον (érgon).[10]

Kümmel moves the Old Avestan subjunctive varəšaitī from the desiderative to an s-aorist ?*u̯rḗg̑/u̯rég̑-s-, together with Greek ἔρρεξα (érrhexa) and Middle Welsh gwrith, which LIV had listed as innovations, and adds an iterative ?*u̯org̑-éi̯e- for a Chorasmian verb 'to apply, to exert oneself'.[7] He notes that in Avestan, or already in Proto-Indo-Iranian, the root was remodelled to *Hu̯arȷ́- after other roots in *Hu̯arC-, and that Vedic वृज् (vr̥j-) could belong here but must at least also belong to *h₂u̯erg-.[7]

Evidence

The root is cited under Reflexes from Iranian, Greek, Germanic, Celtic and Armenian, and possibly in Tocharian.[2][14] LIV's Tocharian form *wərkṣə- is queried, and it cites no Anatolian form.[2]

Competing analyses

LIV regards the full grade II *u̯reg̑- of ῥέζω (rhézō) and the Celtic verbs as secondary,[2] while Sihler cites the root as an example of Schwebeablaut.[9] For Armenian գործ (gorc, “work”), Beekes and Martirosyan report the view that its o-vowel was taken from the verb Old Armenian գործեմ (gorcem).[15][14]

Meanings

  1. to work, to make,[2] to do[11][12]

Ancient Greek ἔρδω (érdō) also means 'to sacrifice'.[10]

Derivatives

  • *u̯érg̑o- 'work', in Elean ϝέργον (wérgon), Avestan varəzəm, Old High German werc and Old Norse verk.[15][8] Olsen reports Hamp's view that this is the only thematic action noun of the root with secure Indo-European status.[16]
  • *u̯r̥g̑-tó- 'done', in the past participle of Gothic 𐍅𐌰𐌿𐍂𐌺𐌾𐌰𐌽 (waurkjan).[2]
  • *u̯e/orĝom, in Armenian գործ (gorc).[14]

Reflexes

  • Iranian: Avestan vərəziieiti (“does, works”).[17]
  • Greek: Ancient Greek ἔρδω (érdō, “to do, to make, to sacrifice”).[10]
  • Armenian: Old Armenian գործ (gorc, “work, labour”).[14]
  • Celtic: Proto-Celtic *wreg-o- (“to do, to make”).[11]
  • Germanic: Proto-Germanic *wurkjan- (“to work, to produce”).[13]

*werǵ-3 to shear

Confidence
Uncertain

Reconstruction

LIV's third root of this shape is *u̯erg̑- 'to shear', and LIV puts the reference to Pokorny's entry in brackets.[3] Mallory and Adams list *werĝ- 'shave, shear'.[18]

Morphology

LIV reconstructs a root aorist *u̯érg̑-/u̯r̥g̑- from the Armenian aorist 'sheared', and, with queries, an amphidynamic root present *u̯érg̑/u̯r̥g̑-u- from Armenian գերծում (gercowm, “I shear”) and a perfect from Tocharian B warkāre (“they sheared”).[3] Adams derives Proto-Tocharian *werk-ā-/wärk- from *werĝ-.[12]

Evidence

The root is attested only in Armenian and Tocharian.[3][12]

Competing analyses

Adams suggests that the Tocharian and Armenian meaning may be a specialized sense of the root 'to work, to do', and LIV reports this view.[12][3]

Meanings

  1. to shear,[3] to shave[18]

Reflexes

  • Armenian: Old Armenian գերծում (gercowm, “I shear”), as listed by LIV.[3]
  • Tocharian: Tocharian A wārk- (“to shear a sheep”).[12]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Rix, Helmut, et al. (2001), Lexikon der indogermanischen Verben, 2nd ed., Wiesbaden: Reichert, p. s.v. 1.*u̯erg̑-
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Rix, Helmut, et al. (2001), Lexikon der indogermanischen Verben, 2nd ed., Wiesbaden: Reichert, p. s.v. 2.*u̯erg̑-
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Rix, Helmut, et al. (2001), Lexikon der indogermanischen Verben, 2nd ed., Wiesbaden: Reichert, p. s.v. 3.*u̯erg̑-
  4. ^ a b c d e f Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010), Etymological Dictionary of Greek, with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 10, Leiden; Boston: Brill, p. s.v. εἴργω
  5. ^ a b c d e Matasović, Ranko (2009), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Celtic, Leiden: Brill, p. 443
  6. ^ a b Zair, Nicholas (2012), The Reflexes of the Proto-Indo-European Laryngeals in Celtic, Leiden: Brill, p. 27
  7. ^ a b c Kümmel, Martin Joachim, Addenda und Corrigenda zu LIV², online document, last change 16 June 2026, p. 96
  8. ^ a b Ringe, Don (2017), From Proto-Indo-European to Proto-Germanic, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  9. ^ a b Sihler, Andrew L. (1995), New Comparative Grammar of Greek and Latin, New York: OUP
  10. ^ a b c d Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010), Etymological Dictionary of Greek, with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 10, Leiden; Boston: Brill, p. s.v. ἔρδω
  11. ^ a b c Matasović, Ranko (2009), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Celtic, Leiden: Brill, p. 442
  12. ^ a b c d e f Adams, Douglas Q. (2013), A Dictionary of Tocharian B, 2nd ed., Amsterdam: Rodopi, p. 637
  13. ^ a b Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 600
  14. ^ a b c d Martirosyan, Hrach K. (2010), Etymological Dictionary of the Armenian Inherited Lexicon, Leiden: Brill, p. 240
  15. ^ a b Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010), Etymological Dictionary of Greek, with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 10, Leiden; Boston: Brill, p. s.v. ἔργον
  16. ^ Olsen, Birgit Anette (1999), The Noun in Biblical Armenian: Origin and Word-Formation, Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter, p. 13
  17. ^ Cheung, Johnny (2007), Etymological Dictionary of the Iranian Verb, Leiden: Brill, p. 450
  18. ^ a b Mallory, J. P.; Adams, D. Q. (2006), The Oxford Introduction to Proto-Indo-European and the Proto-Indo-European World, Oxford: OUP, p. 177
Cite this entry

“*werǵ-.” Etymologically, 7 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/ine-pro/*wer%C7%B5-. Accessed 8 Nov. 2026.

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