Unnumbered source etymology · variant 1/2
Original entry ↗Metal formed into a thin, even thread, now usually by being drawn through a hole in a steel die. · A piece of such material; a thread or slender rod of metal, a cable. · A metal conductor that carries electricity. · A fence made of usually barbed wire.
From Middle English wir, wyr, from Old English wīr (“wire, metal thread, wire-ornament”), from Proto-Germanic *wīraz (“wire”), from Proto-Indo-European *weh₁iros (“a twist, thread, cord, wire”), from *weh₁y- (“to turn, twist, weave, plait”).
Relationships mentioned by the source
These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.
This page abbreviates 12 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": "root",
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "ine-pro",
"3": "*weh₁y-"
},
"expansion": ""
},
{
"name": "inh",
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "enm",
"3": "wir"
},
"expansion": "Middle English wir"
},
{
"name": "inh",
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "ang",
"3": "wīr",
"4": "",
"5": "wire, metal thread, wire-ornament"
},
"expansion": "Old English wīr (“wire, metal thread, wire-ornament”)"
},
{
"name": "inh",
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "gem-pro",
"3": "*wīraz",
"4": "",
"5": "wire"
},
"expansion": "Proto-Germanic *wīraz (“wire”)"
},
{
"name": "inh",
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "ine-pro",
"3": "*weh₁iros",
"4": "",
"5": "a twist, thread, cord, wire"
},
"expansion": "Proto-Indo-European *weh₁iros (“a twist, thread, cord, wire”)"
}
],
"links": [
[
"wir",
"wir#Middle_English"
],
[
"wyr",
"wyr#Middle_English"
],
[
"wīr",
"wir#Old_English"
],
[
"*wīraz",
"Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/wīraz"
],
[
"*weh₁iros",
"Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/weh₁iros"
],
[
"*weh₁y-",
"Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/weh₁y-"
]
],
"references": [],
"descendants": [
{
"lang": "Gulf Arabic",
"lang_code": "afb",
"word": "واير",
"raw_tags": [
"borrowed"
],
"roman": "wāyir"
},
{
"lang": "Iraqi Arabic",
"lang_code": "acm",
"word": "واير",
"raw_tags": [
"borrowed"
],
"roman": "wāyar"
},
{
"lang": "Norwegian Bokmål",
"lang_code": "nb",
"word": "vaier",
"raw_tags": [
"borrowed"
]
},
{
"lang": "Norwegian Bokmål",
"lang_code": "nb",
"word": "wire",
"raw_tags": [
"borrowed"
]
},
{
"lang": "Norwegian Nynorsk",
"lang_code": "nn",
"word": "vaier",
"raw_tags": [
"borrowed"
]
},
{
"lang": "Norwegian Nynorsk",
"lang_code": "nn",
"word": "wire",
"raw_tags": [
"borrowed"
]
},
{
"lang": "Spanish",
"lang_code": "es",
"word": "guaya",
"raw_tags": [
"borrowed"
]
},
{
"lang": "Swedish",
"lang_code": "sv",
"word": "vajer",
"raw_tags": [
"borrowed"
]
},
{
"lang": "Swedish",
"lang_code": "sv",
"word": "wire",
"raw_tags": [
"borrowed"
]
}
],
"lexical": [
{
"pos": "noun",
"glosses": [
"Metal formed into a thin, even thread, now usually by being drawn through a hole in a steel die.",
"A piece of such material; a thread or slender rod of metal, a cable.",
"A metal conductor that carries electricity.",
"A fence made of usually barbed wire."
],
"tags": [
"uncountable",
"countable"
],
"recordId": "b4d8451f5677581022e64e3615b05a7abe0bc0bdf3be73732577b00de31b6100",
"rawRecordSha256": "8af6df2befc299ddb84a8ed786e2ac798ac504f3529da5f5beb98d0f58dead9d",
"sourceRecordOrdinal": 47010
}
],
"omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
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"descendants": 0,
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"lexicalSenses": 12,
"glosses": 0
}
}