Unnumbered source etymology · variant 1/2
Original entry ↗adv
Queerly. · Very, extremely.
noun
A person who is or appears homosexual, or who has homosexual qualities. · A person of any non-heterosexual sexuality or sexual identity. · A person of any genderqueer identity. · Counterfeit money.
verb
Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventoryTo render an endeavor or agreement ineffective or null. · To puzzle. · To ridicule; to banter; to rally. · To spoil the effect or success of, as by ridicule; to throw a wet blanket on; to spoil.
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *terkʷ- Proto-Indo-European *-os Proto-Germanic *térkʷos Proto-Germanic *térkwos Proto-Germanic *twérkos Proto-Germanic *þwerhaz Proto-West Germanic *þwerh Old Saxon thwerh Middle Low German queerbor. ▲ Proto-West Germanic *þwerh Old High German twërh Middle High German twër Middle High German quër German querbor. English queer Attested since about 1510, at first in Scots. Usually taken to be from Middle Low German (Brunswick dialect) queer (“oblique, off-centre”) or the related German quer (“diagonal”), from Old Saxon thwerh, from Proto-West Germanic *þwerh, from Proto-Germanic *þwerhaz, from Proto-Indo-European *terkʷ- (“to turn, twist, wind”); compare Latin torqueō, and see more at thwart. The OED argues against this due to the semantic differences and the date at which the word appears in Scots. Began to be used to describe gay people in the late 1800s; see usage notes for more.
Relationships mentioned by the source
These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.
This page abbreviates 2 auxiliary source items. The etymology narrative is not shortened. Omission counts are available in the audit fields below; consult the original for complete auxiliary material.
Inspect preserved source fields
Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.
{
"templates": [
{
"name": "ety",
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": ":bor<conj:or>",
"3": "gml:queer<ety:inh<osx:thwerh>>",
"4": "de:quer",
"tree": "1"
},
"expansion": "Etymology tree\nProto-Indo-European *terkʷ-\nProto-Indo-European *-os\nProto-Germanic *térkʷos\nProto-Germanic *térkwos\nProto-Germanic *twérkos\nProto-Germanic *þwerhaz\nProto-West Germanic *þwerh\nOld Saxon thwerh\nMiddle Low German queerbor.\n▲\nProto-West Germanic *þwerh\nOld High German twërh\nMiddle High German twër\nMiddle High German quër\nGerman querbor.\nEnglish queer\n[Appendix:Glossary#loanword|Borrowed]] from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"alt\" : \"*twérkos\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Germanic\", \"status\" : \"inline\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"alt\" : \"*térkwos\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Germanic\", \"status\" : \"inline\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"alt\" : \"*térkʷos\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Germanic\", \"status\" : \"inline\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*terkʷ-\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" }, { \"id\" : \"thematic\", \"children\" : [ ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*-os\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"is_group\" : true, \"keyword\" : \"affix\" } ], \"lang\" : \"gem-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"keyword\" : \"from\" } ], \"lang\" : \"gem-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"keyword\" : \"from\" } ], \"lang\" : \"gem-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"keyword\" : \"from\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Germanic\", \"term\" : \"*þwerhaz\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"gem-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-West Germanic\", \"term\" : \"*þwerh\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"gmw-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Old Saxon\", \"term\" : \"thwerh\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"osx\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Middle Low German\", \"term\" : \"queer\", \"status\" : \"inline\", \"lang\" : \"gml\" }, { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"is_duplicate\" : true, \"children\" : [ ], \"status\" : [ \"gmw-pro\", \":inh\", \"gem-pro:*þwerhaz\" ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-West Germanic\", \"term\" : \"*þwerh\", \"lang\" : \"gmw-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Old High German\", \"term\" : \"twërh\", \"status\" : \"inline\", \"lang\" : \"goh\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Middle High German\", \"term\" : \"twër\", \"status\" : \"inline\", \"lang\" : \"gmh\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"keyword\" : \"from\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Middle High German\", \"term\" : \"quër\", \"status\" : \"inline\", \"lang\" : \"gmh\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"German\", \"term\" : \"quer\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"de\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"bor\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"queer\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"queer\">"
},
{
"name": "bor",
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "sco",
"3": "-"
},
"expansion": "Scots"
},
{
"name": "der",
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "gml",
"3": "-"
},
"expansion": "Middle Low German"
},
{
"name": "der",
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "de",
"3": "quer",
"t": "diagonal"
},
"expansion": "German quer (“diagonal”)"
},
{
"name": "der",
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "osx",
"3": "thwerh"
},
"expansion": "Old Saxon thwerh"
},
{
"name": "der",
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "gmw-pro",
"3": "*þwerh"
},
"expansion": "Proto-West Germanic *þwerh"
},
{
"name": "der",
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "gem-pro",
"3": "*þwerhaz"
},
"expansion": "Proto-Germanic *þwerhaz"
},
{
"name": "der",
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "ine-pro",
"3": "*terkʷ-",
"t": "to turn, twist, wind"
},
"expansion": "Proto-Indo-European *terkʷ- (“to turn, twist, wind”)"
},
{
"name": "cog",
"args": {
"1": "la",
"2": "torqueō"
},
"expansion": "Latin torqueō"
},
{
"name": "ety",
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": ":bor<conj:or>",
"3": "gml:queer<ety:inh<osx:thwerh>>",
"4": "de:quer",
"tree": "1"
},
"expansion": "Etymology tree\nProto-Indo-European *terkʷ-\nProto-Indo-European *-os\nProto-Germanic *térkʷos\nProto-Germanic *térkwos\nProto-Germanic *twérkos\nProto-Germanic *þwerhaz\nProto-West Germanic *þwerh\nOld Saxon thwerh\nMiddle Low German queerbor.\n▲\nProto-West Germanic *þwerh\nOld High German twërh\nMiddle High German twër\nMiddle High German quër\nGerman querbor.\nEnglish queer"
}
],
"links": [
[
"*terkʷ-",
"Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/terkʷ-"
],
[
"*-os",
"Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/-os#Proto-Indo-European:_thematic"
],
[
"*þwerhaz",
"Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/þwerhaz"
],
[
"*þwerh",
"Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/þwerh"
],
[
"thwerh",
"thwerh#Old_Saxon"
],
[
"queer",
"queer#Middle_Low_German"
],
[
"*þwerh",
"Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/þwerh"
],
[
"twërh",
"twerh#Old_High_German"
],
[
"twër",
"twer#Middle_High_German"
],
[
"quër",
"quer#Middle_High_German"
],
[
"quer",
"quer#German"
],
[
"dialect",
"dialect"
],
[
"queer",
"queer#Middle_Low_German"
],
[
"quer",
"quer#German"
],
[
"thwerh",
"thwerh#Old_Saxon"
],
[
"*þwerh",
"Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/þwerh"
],
[
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"Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/þwerhaz"
],
[
"*terkʷ-",
"Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/terkʷ-"
],
[
"torqueō",
"torqueo#Latin"
],
[
"thwart",
"thwart#English"
]
],
"references": [],
"descendants": [],
"lexical": [
{
"pos": "adv",
"glosses": [
"Queerly.",
"Very, extremely."
],
"tags": [
"not-comparable",
"usually",
"Ireland"
],
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{
"pos": "noun",
"glosses": [
"A person who is or appears homosexual, or who has homosexual qualities.",
"A person of any non-heterosexual sexuality or sexual identity.",
"A person of any genderqueer identity.",
"Counterfeit money."
],
"tags": [
"colloquial",
"derogatory",
"sometimes",
"archaic",
"informal",
"with-definite-article"
],
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},
{
"pos": "verb",
"glosses": [
"To render an endeavor or agreement ineffective or null.",
"To puzzle.",
"To ridicule; to banter; to rally.",
"To spoil the effect or success of, as by ridicule; to throw a wet blanket on; to spoil."
],
"tags": [
"dated",
"transitive",
"UK",
"dialectal",
"slang"
],
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"sourceRecordOrdinal": 94955
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