English word origin

Etymology of wors

From Afrikaans wors, from Dutch worst (“sausage”). Doublet of wurst.

1 source sectionExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 1 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗

noun

boerewors

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Afrikaans wors, from Dutch worst (“sausage”). Doublet of wurst.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Borrowed-form mentionworsaf
Derivation mentionworstnl
Doublet mentionwursten

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "af",
        "3": "wors"
      },
      "expansion": "Afrikaans wors"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "nl",
        "3": "worst",
        "4": "",
        "5": "sausage"
      },
      "expansion": "Dutch worst (“sausage”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "doublet",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "wurst"
      },
      "expansion": "Doublet of wurst"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "wors",
      "wors#Afrikaans"
    ],
    [
      "worst",
      "worst#Dutch"
    ],
    [
      "wurst",
      "wurst#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "boerewors"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "South-Africa",
        "countable",
        "slang",
        "uncountable"
      ],
      "recordId": "b592f6c59a6ffee26b1a1fbdce334ff62547538e1d0d8f0ccbe8c34605826225",
      "rawRecordSha256": "2114dced945d65d5cfbcae7de8f3983ba806eb01368b200fca39d8c6230c9e69",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 497290
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for wors →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger

Machine-source provenance

Source SHA-256: 5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run: 73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID: w-d29ycw