An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/wahren

by Friedrich Kluge

wahren, vb., ‘to watch over, preserve,’ from MidHG. warn, wk. vb., ‘to notice, be careful, pay attention to’; OHG. only in biwarôn (the same as MidHG. bewarn, ModHG. bewahren, ‘to keep, preserve’). Comp. the corresponding OSax. warôn, ‘to pay attention to.’ From Ger. is derived Fr. se garer, ‘to guard against, mind’; but Fr. garnir (Ital. guarnire), ‘to furnish, stock,’ is based on the equiv. OHG. warnôn, MidHG. warnen, which, like wahren, is derived from the same root war, ‘to take care of, look after.’ To this is allied OHG. and OSax. wara, MidHG. war, f., ‘attention,’ still preserved in wahrnehmen, ‘to perceive,’ from MidHG. war nëmen, OHG. and OSax. wara nëman, ‘to pay attention to, perceive’ (in OHG. and MidHG. construed with the genit.), lit. ‘to have regard to.’ The Teut. root. war, ‘to take heed, notice,’ is rightly regarded as primit. cognate with Gr. ὁράω, ‘I see’ (Aryan root wor, to which warten is also allied).