warm
Of or at a fairly high temperature; giving off or retaining heat.
Etymology
From Old English wearm, from Proto-Germanic *warmaz. This traces to PIE *gʷher- meaning "warm, hot." The same root gave Greek thermós (with metathesis) and Latin formus "warm." The PIE peoples clearly distinguished grades of heat.
The Journey: *gʷʰer- → warm
*gʷher-
*warmaz
wearm
warm
Cognates Across Languages
These words in other languages descend from the same PIE root *gʷʰer-. They are not borrowings but independent inheritances from a common ancestor.
| Language | Word |
|---|---|
| Greek | thermós (warm) |
| Latin | formus (warm) |
| Hittite | war- (to burn) |
| Armenian | jerm (warm) |
| Sanskrit | gharmá- (heat) |
| Old Irish | gorim (I warm) |
Did You Know?
Greek thermós "warm" from the same root gave English "thermal," "thermometer," and "thermos" (flask). Latin fornāx "oven" (from formus) gave English "furnace."
This word descends from the Proto-Indo-European root *gʷʰer-. See the full root page for descendant trees, sound law references, and scholarly discussion.