An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Annotated/werfen

by Friedrich Kluge

werfen, verb, ‘to cast, throw,’ from the equivalent Middle High German wërfen, Old High German wërfan (wërpfan); a common Teutonic strong verb; compare Gothic waírpan, Old Icelandic verpa, Anglo-Saxon weorpan, English to warp, Dutch werpen, Old Saxon wërpan, ‘to throw.’ From Teutonic are borrowed Old French guerpir, French déguerpir, ‘to leave in the lurch.’ The Teutonic root werp contained in these words is based upon werq, from pre-Teutonic werg (compare Wolf with Greek λύκος, fünf with quinque, and vier with quattnor); the primitively allied Sanscrit vṛj, ‘to throw down,’ and Old Slovenian vrŭgą (vrěšti), ‘to throw,’ have a guttural sound. Allied to the following word and to Würfel.