An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Annotated/werden

by Friedrich Kluge

werden, verb, ‘to become, grow, get,’ from the equivalent Middle High German wërden, Old High German wërdan; a common Teutonic verb; compare Gothic waírþan, Anglo-Saxon weorþan (obsolete in English), Dutch worden, ‘to become.’ The Teutonic strong verbal root werþ has no corresponding and equivalent Aryan wert, yet it is undoubtedly connected with Latin verto, ‘to turn,’ Old Slovenian vrŭtěti, vratiti, ‘to turn,’ Sanscrit vṛt, ‘to turn, roll’; ‘to turn’ developed in Teutonic into ‘to become, arise’ (compare Sanscrit sam vṛt, ‘to arise’). The earlier meaning ‘to turn’ is rightly supposed to exist in the suffix -wärts (which see), as well as in Middle High German wirtel, ‘spindle ring,’ equivalent to Old Slovenian vrěteno, ‘distaff.’