A- (3) prefix meaning "not," from Gk a-, an- "not," from pie base *ne "not" (see un-)

wait (v.) --- c.1200, "to watch with hostile intent, lie in wait for," from O.N.Fr. waitier "to watch" (Fr. guetter), from Frank. *wahton (cf. Du. wacht "a watching," O.H.G. wahten, Ger. wachten "to watch, to guard;" O.H.G. wahhon "to watch, be awake," O.E. wacian "to be awake;" see wake (v.)). General sense of "remain in some place" is from 1375; meaning "serve as an attendant at a table" is from 1568. The noun is first attested c.1300. To wait (something) out "endure a period of waiting" is recorded from 1909, originally Amer.Eng., in ref. to baseball batters trying to draw a base on balls. Waiting game is recorded from 1890. Waiting room is attested from 1683. Waiting list is recorded from 1897; the verb wait-list "to put (someone) on a waiting list" is recorded from 1960.

waiter --- 1382, "attendant, watchman," agent noun from wait (v.). Sense of "servant who waits at tables" is from 1483, originally in ref. to household servants; in ref. to inns, eating houses, etc., it is attested from 1663. Fem. form waitress first recorded 1834.

waive --- c.1300, from Anglo-Fr. weyver "to abandon, waive," O.Fr. weyver, guever "to abandon, give back," probably from a Scand. source akin to O.N. veifa "to swing about," from P.Gmc. *waibijanan (see waif). In M.E. legal language, used of rights, goods, or women. Waiver "act of waiving" is from 1628 (modern usage is often short for waiver clause); baseball waivers is recorded from 1907.

wake (n.1) --- track left by a moving ship, 1547, perhaps from M.L.G. or M.Du. wake "hole in the ice," from O.N. vok, vaka "hole in the ice," from P.Gmc. *wakwo. The sense perhaps evolved via "track made by a vessel through ice." Perhaps the Eng. word is directly from Scand. Fig. phrase in the wake of "following close behind" is recorded from 1806.

wake (n.2) --- state of wakefulness, O.E. -wacu (as in nihtwacu "night watch"), related to watch; and partly from O.N. vaka "vigil, eve before a feast," related to vaka "be awake" (cf. O.H.G. wahta "watch, vigil," M.Du. wachten "to watch, guard;" see wake (v.)). Meaning "a sitting up at night with a corpse" is attested from 1412 (the verb in this sense is recorded from c.1250). The custom largely survived as an Irish activity. Wakeman (c.1200), which survives as a surname, was M.E. for "watchman."

wake (v.) --- to become awake, O.E. wacan "to become awake," also from wacian "to be or remain awake," both from P.Gmc. *waken (cf. O.S. wakon, O.N. vaka, Dan. vaage, O.Fris. waka, Du. waken, O.H.G. wahhen, Ger. wachen "to be awake," Goth. wakan "to watch"), from PIE base *weg- "to be strong, be lively" (cf. Skt. vajah "force, swiftness, race, prize," vajayati "drives on;" L. vegere, vigere "to be live, be active, quicken," vigil "awake, wakeful," vigor "liveliness, activity"). Causative sense "to rouse from sleep" is attested from c.1300. Phrase wake-up call is attested from 1976, originally a call one received from the hotel desk in the morning.

waken --- to become awake, O.E. wæcnan, wæcnian "to rise, spring," from the same source as wake (v.). Fig. sense was in O.E. Trans. sense of "to arouse (someone or something) from sleep" is recorded from c.1200.

Walach --- Romanian people, 1786, from Ger. Wallache, from O.C.S. Vlachu, from O.H.G. wahl "foreigner, one speaking a foreign language" (see Vlach).

Waldensian --- 1604, from Waldenses (pl.), 1449, from M.L., apparently from Waldensis, a variant form of the surname of Peter Waldo, the preacher who originated the sect c.1170 in southern France. Excommunicated 1184, they eventually were swept into the Protestant revolt (16c.).

Waldorf salad --- 1911, from Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York, where it first was served.

wale --- O.E. walu "ridge," as of earth or stone, later "ridge made on flesh by a lash" (related to weal (2)); from P.Gmc. *walo (cf. Low Ger. wale "weal," O.Fris. walu "rod," O.N. völr "round piece of wood," Goth. walus "a staff, stick," Du. wortel, Ger. wurzel "root"). The common notion perhaps is "raised line." Used in reference to the ridges of textile fabric from 1583. Wales "horizontal planks which extend along a ship's sides" is attested from 1295.

Wales --- see Welsh.

walk (n.) --- c.1386, "act of walking" (see walk (v.)). The noun meaning "broad path in a garden" is from 1533; walk of life is from 1752. Sports sense of "base on balls" is recorded from 1905.

walk (v.) --- O.E. wealcan "to toss, roll," and wealcian "to roll up, curl, muffle up," from P.Gmc. *welk- (cf. O.N. valka "to drag about," Dan. valke "to full," M.Du. walken "to knead, press, full," O.H.G. walchan "to knead," Ger. walken "to full"), perhaps ult. from PIE base *wel- "to turn, bend, twist, roll" (see vulva). Meaning shifted in early M.E., perhaps from colloquial use of the O.E. word. "Rarely is there so specific a word as NE walk, clearly distinguished from both go and run" [Buck]. Meaning "to go away" is recorded from c.1460. Trans. meaning "to exercise a dog (or horse)" is from 1470. Walk-up in ref. to an apartment not accessible by elevator is attested from 1919 as an adj., 1925 as a noun. The surname Walker probably preserves the cloth-fulling sense.

walkabout --- periodic migration by a westernized Aboriginal into the bush, 1828, Australian Eng.

walkie-talkie --- 1939, popularized in World War II army slang, from walk + talk.

walking --- c.1400, pp. adj. from walk (v.). Walking sickness, one in which the sufferer is able to get about and is not bed-ridden, is from 1846. Walking wounded is recorded from 1917. Walking bass is attested from 1939 in jazz slang. Walking stick is recorded from 1580; the insect so called from 1760.

walk-on --- minor non-speaking role, 1902, theatrical slang. Meaning "Actor who has such a part" is attested from 1946. The sports team sense is recorded from 1974.

walk-out --- strike, 1888, from walk + out. Phrase Walk out "to leave" is attested from 1840.

walk-over --- easy victory, 1838, such as one that happens in the absence of competitors, when the solitary starter can traverse the course at a walk. Transf. sense of "anything accomplished with great ease" is attested from 1902. To walk (all) over (someone) "treat with contempt" is from 1851.

wall --- O.E. weall "rampart" (natural as well as man-made), also "defensive fortification around a city, side of a building, interior partition," an Anglo-Frisian and Saxon borrowing (cf. O.S., O.Fris., M.L.G., M.Du. wal) from L. vallum "wall, rampart, row or line of stakes," apparently a collective form of vallus "stake." Swed. vall, Dan. val are from Low Ger. In this case, Eng. uses one word where many languages have two, e.g. Ger. Mauer "outer wall of a town, fortress, etc.," used also in ref. to the former Berlin Wall, and wand "partition wall within a building" (cf. the distinction, not always rigorously kept, in It. muro/parete, Ir. mur/fraig, Lith. muras/siena, etc.). The verb meaning "to enclose in a wall" is late O.E. *weallian. Wallpaper is attested from 1827. Phrase up the wall "angry, crazy" is from 1951; off the wall "unorthodox, unconventional" is recorded from 1966, Amer.Eng. student slang. Wall-to-wall (adj.) recorded 1953, of carpeting; metaphoric use (usually disparaging) is from 1967.

Wall Street --- U.S. financial world, 1836, from street in New York City that is home to many investment firms and stock traders, as well as NYSE. The street so called because it ran along the interior of the defensive wall of the old Dutch colonial town.

wallaby --- kind of small kangaroo, 1826, from native Australian wolaba.

wallbanger --- cocktail made from vodka or gin and orange juice, 1970, in full Harvey wallbanger. Probably so called from its effect on the locomotive skills of the consumer.

wallet --- c.1386, "bag, knapsack," of uncertain origin, probably from O.Fr., perhaps from P.Gmc. *wal- "roll." Meaning "flat case for carrying paper money" is first recorded 1834, Amer.Eng.

walleyed --- c.1300, "having very light-colored eyes," also "having parti-colored eyes," wawil-eghed, from O.N. vagl-eygr "having speckled eyes," from vagl "speck in the eye." Meaning "having one or both eyes turned out" (and thus showing much white) is first recorded 1588.

wallflower --- 1578, "flowering plant cultivated in gardens," from wall + flower (n.). Colloquial sense of "woman who sits by the wall at parties, often for want of a partner" is first recorded 1820.

Walloon --- 1530, from M.Fr. Wallon, lit. "foreigner," of Gmc. origin (cf. O.H.G. walh "foreigner"). The people are of Gaulish origin and speak a Fr. dialect. The name is a form of the common appellation of Gmc. peoples to Romanic-speaking neighbors. See Vlach; also cf. Welsh.

wallop (v.) --- 1375, "to gallop," possibly from O.N.Fr. *waloper (13c.), probably from Frankish *walalaupan "to run well" (cf. O.H.G. wela "well" and Old Low Franconian loupon "to run, leap"). The verb meaning "to thrash" (1820) and the noun meaning "heavy blow" (1823) may be separate developments, of imitative origin.

wallow --- O.E. wealwian "to roll," from W.Gmc. *walwojan, from PIE *wal-, *wel- "to roll" (see vulva). Fig. sense of "to plunge and remain in some state or condition" is attested from c.1230. The noun is recorded from 1591.

walnut --- O.E. walhnutu "nut of the walnut tree," lit. "foreign nut," from wealh "foreign" (see Welsh) + hnutu (see nut). Cf. O.N. valhnot, M.L.G. walnut, M.Du. walnote, Du. walnoot, Ger. Walnuß, So called because it was introduced from Gaul and Italy, distinguishing it from the native hazel nut. Cf. the L.L. name for it, nux Gallica, lit. "Gaulish nut." Applied to the tree itself from 1600 (earlier walnut tree, c.1400).

Walpurgis night --- 1822, from Ger. Walpurgisnacht, witches' revel, especially on Brocken, on May-day eve, lit. "the night of (St.) Walpurgis," from Walburga, Eng. abbess who migrated to Heidenheim, Germany, and died there c.780; May 1 being the day of the removal of her bones from Heidenheim to Eichstädt.

walrus --- 1655, from Du. walrus, which was probably a folk-etymology alteration (by influence of Du. walvis "whale" and ros "horse") of a Scand. word, such as O.N. rosmhvalr "walrus," hrosshvalr "a kind of whale," or rostungr "walrus." O.E. had horschwæl, and later morse, from Lapp morsa or Finnish mursu, which may ult. be the source, much garbled, of the first element in O.N. rosmhvalr.

Walter --- masc. proper name, from O.N.Fr. Waltier (O.Fr. Gautier), of Gmc. origin; cf. O.H.G. Walthari, Walthere, lit. "ruler of the army," from waltan "to rule" (see wield) + hari "host, army" (see harry). Walter Mitty (1939) is from title character in "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" by U.S. short story writer James Thurber.

waltz (n.) --- dance performed to music in triple time, 1781, from Ger. Waltzer, from walzen "to roll, dance," from O.H.G. walzan "to turn, roll," from P.Gmc. *walt- (cf. O.N. velta), from PIE base *wel- "to turn, revolve" (see vulva). Described in 1825 as "a riotous and indecent German dance." The verb is from 1794; meaning "to move nimbly" is recorded from 1862.

wampum --- 1636, shortened from wampumpeag (1627), from Algonquian (probably Narragansett) wanpanpiak "string of white (shell beads)," from wab "white" + ompe "string" + pl. suffix -ag.

wan --- O.E. wann "dark, lacking luster," later "leaden, pale, gray," of uncertain origin, and not found in other Gmc. languages. The connecting notion is colorlessness. Perhaps related to wane.

wand --- c.1200, from O.N. vondr "rod, switch," (cf. Goth. wandus "rod," M.Swed. vander), from P.Gmc. *wend- "to turn," see wind (v.)). The notion is of a bending, flexible stick. Cf. cognate O.N. veggr, O.E. wag "wall," O.S., Du. wand, O.H.G. want, Ger. Wand "wall," orig. "wickerwork for making walls," or "wall made of wattle-work" (an insight into early Gmc. domestic architecture). Magic wand is attested from c.1400 and shows the etymological sense of "suppleness" already had been lost.

wander --- O.E. wandrian "move about aimlessly, wander," from W.Gmc. *wandrojan (cf. O.Fris. wondria, M.L.G., M.Du. wanderen, Ger. wandern "to wander," a variant form of the root represented in O.H.G. wantalon "to walk, wander"), from base *wend- "to turn" (see wind (v.)). In ref. to the mind, affections, etc., attested from c.1400. The Wandering Jew of Christian legend first mentioned 13c. (cf. Fr. le juif errant, Ger. der ewige Jude).

wanderlust --- 1902, from Ger. Wanderlust, lit. "desire for wandering" (see lust).

wane --- O.E. wanian "make or become smaller gradually," from P.Gmc. *wanojanan (cf. O.S. wanon, O.N. vana, O.Fris. wania, M.Du. waenen, O.H.G. wanon "to wane, to grow less"), from *wano- "lacking," from PIE *we-no-, from base *eue- "to leave, abandon, give out" (see vain).

wang --- penis, 1933, slang, probably from whangdoodle, an earlier term for "gadget, thing for which the correct name is not known." Many such words (thingy, dingus, etc.) have been used in slang for "penis," not because the actual name was unknown, but because it was unmentionable. Another possibility is that the slang word is a variant of whang "large, thick slice" (1634), which earlier was used in the sense of "thong" (1536) and is itself a variant of thwang, an alternat form of thong (see thong).

wangle --- obtain something by trickery, 1888, originally British printer's slang for "fake by manipulation;" perhaps an alteration of waggle, or of wankle (now dial.) "unsteady, fickle," from O.E. wancol (see wench). Brought into wider use by World War I soldiers.

Wankel --- type of rotary internal combustion engine, 1961, from name of Ger. engineer Felix Wankel (1902-88).

wanker --- 1940s, "masturbator," British slang, from wank "to masturbate," of unknown origin. General sense of "contemptible person" is attested from 1972. Cf. sense evolution of jerk (n.).

wannabe --- 1981, originally Amer.Eng. surfer slang, from casual pronunciation of want to be; popularized c.1984 in reference to female fans of pop singer Madonna.

want (n.) --- c.1300, "deficiency, shortage," from O.N. vant, neut. of vanr "wanting, deficient;" related to O.E. wanian "to diminish" (see wane). Phrase for want of is recorded from c.1400. Meaning "state of destitution" is recorded from 1340. Newspaper want ad is recorded from 1897.

want (v.) --- c.1200, "to be lacking," from O.N. vanta "to lack, want," earlier *wanaton, from P.Gmc. *wanen, from PIE *we-no-, from base *eue- "to leave, abandon, give out" (see vain). The meaning "desire, wish for" is first recorded 1706. Wanted "sought by the police" was originally slang, in use by 1812.

wanton (adj.) --- c.1300, wan-towen, from M.E. privative prefix wan- "wanting, lacking" (from O.E. wan "wanting;" see wane) + togen, pp. of teon "to train, discipline;" lit. "to pull, draw," from P.Gmc. *teuhan (cf. O.H.G. ziohan "to pull;" see tug). The basic notion perhaps is "ill-bred, poorly brought up;" cf. Ger. ungezogen "ill-bred, rude, haughty," lit. "unpulled."

wap (n.) --- a hit, a blow, c.1400, probably of imitative origin. The verb (c.1375) originally meant "to throw quickly or with violence," and in slang c.1560-1730 it meant "to copulate" (usually used in ref. to women).

wapentake --- division of certain Eng. counties (equivalent to a hundred in other places), O.E. wæpengetæc, from O.N. vapnatak, from vapna, gen. pl. of vapn "weapon" + tak "touching," from taka "to take, grasp." Perhaps it originally was an armed muster with inspection of weapons, or else an assembly where consent was expressed by brandishing swords and spears.

war --- late O.E. (c.1050), wyrre, werre, from O.N.Fr. werre "war" (Fr. guerre), from Frank. *werra, from P.Gmc. *werso (cf. O.S. werran, O.H.G. werran, Ger. verwirren "to confuse, perplex"). Cognates suggest the original sense was "to bring into confusion." There was no common Gmc. word for "war" at the dawn of historical times. O.E. had many poetic words for "war" (guð, heaðo, hild, wig, all common in personal names), but the usual one to translate L. bellum was gewin "struggle, strife" (related to win). Sp., Port., It. guerra are from the same source; Romanic peoples turned to Gmc. for a word to avoid L. bellum because its form tended to merge with bello- "beautiful." The verb meaning "to make war on" is recorded from 1154. First record of war time is 1387. Warpath (1775) is from N.Amer. Ind., as are war-whoop (1761), war-paint (1826), war-path (1775), and war-dance (1757). War crime first attested 1906. War chest is attested from 1901; now usually fig. War games translates Ger. Kriegspiel (see kriegspiel).

warble (v.) --- c.1300, from O.N.Fr. werbler "to sing with trills and quavers," from Frank. *werbilon (cf. O.H.G. wirbil "whirlwind," Ger. Wirbel "whirl, whirlpool, tuning peg, vertebra," M.Du. wervelen "to turn, whirl"); see whirl. The noun meaning "tune, melody" is recorded from c.1300. Warbler applied to Old World songbirds (1773), in North America to birds that look like them but sing little (1783).

-ward --- adv. suffix expressing direction, O.E. -weard "toward," lit. "turned toward," sometimes -weardes, with genitive singular ending of neuter adjectives, from P.Gmc. *warth (cf. O.S., O.Fris. -ward, O.N. -verðr), variant of PIE *wert- "to turn, wind," from base *wer- "to turn, bend" (see versus). The original notion is of "turned toward."

ward (n.) --- O.E. weard "a guarding, a watchman, a sentry," from W.Gmc. *wardo (cf. O.S. ward, O.N. vörðr, O.H.G. wart). Used for administrative districts (at first in the sense of guardianship) from 1378; of hospital divisions from 1749. Meaning "minor under control of a guardian" is from 1433. Ward-heeler is 1890, from heeler "loafer, one on the lookout for shady work" (1870s).

ward (v.) --- O.E. weardian "to keep guard," from P.Gmc. *wardojan- (cf. O.S. wardon, O.N. varða "to guard," O.Fris. wardia, M.Du. waerden "to take care of," O.H.G. warten "to guard, look out for, expect," Ger. warten "to wait, wait on, nurse, tend"), from *wardo- (see ward (n.)). Fr. garder, It. guardare, Sp. guardar are Gmc. loan-words. Meaning "to parry, to fend off" (now usually with off) is recorded from 1571.

warden --- c.1225, "one who guards," from O.N.Fr. wardein, from Frankish *warding- (cf. O.Fr. guardenc), from *wardon "to watch, guard" (see ward (v.)). Meaning "governor of a prison" is recorded from c.1300.

warder --- c.1400, "guardian of an entrance," from Anglo-Fr. wardere "guardian," agent noun from O.N.Fr. warder "to guard" (O.Fr. garder), of Gmc. origin (see guard).

Wardour-street --- affected pseudo-archaic diction of historical novels, 1888, from street in London lined with shops selling imitation-antique furniture.

wardrobe --- 1387, "room where wearing apparel is kept," earlier "a private chamber" (c.1300), from O.N.Fr. warderobe, variant of O.Fr. garderobe "place where garments are kept," from warder "to keep, guard" (see ward (v.)) + robe "garment" (see robe). Meaning "a person's stock of clothes for wearing" is recorded from c.1400. Sense of "movable closed cupboard for wearing apparel" is recorded from 1794. Meaning "room in which theatrical costumes are kept" is attested from 1711.

ware (n.) --- manufactured goods, goods for sale, O.E. waru, probably originally "object of care, that which is kept in custody," from P.Gmc. *waro (cf. Swed. vara, Dan. vare, O.Fris. were, M.Du. were, Du. waar, M.H.G., Ger. ware "goods"); related to O.E. wær "aware, cautious" (see wary). Usually wares, except in compounds such as hardware, earthenware, etc. Lady ware was a jocular 17c. euphemism for "a woman's private parts."

ware (v.) --- to take heed of, beware, O.E. warian "to guard against," from P.Gmc. *warojan, from *waro- "to guard, watch" (cf. O.Fris. waria, O.N. vara); related to O.E. wær "aware" (see wary).

warehouse --- 1349, from ware (n.) + house. Cf. Du. warenhuis, Ger. warenhaus. Meaning "large impersonal institution" is Amer.Eng. colloquial, first attested 1970. The verb is recorded from 1799; in the colloquial sense, from 1972.

warfare --- 1456, from war + fare (see fare (n.)).

warhead --- 1898, "explosive part of a torpedo," from war + head. Later transf. to any missile (1944).

warhorse --- 1653, "powerful horse ridden into war;" the fig. sense of "seasoned veteran" of anything is attested from 1837.

Waring --- brand name of a type of food processor, 1948, manufactured by Waring Products Corp., N.Y., U.S.

warlock --- O.E. wærloga "traitor, liar, enemy," from wær "faith, a compact" (cf. O.H.G. wara "truth," O.N. varar "solemn promise, vow;" see very; cf. also Varangian) + agent noun related to leogan "to lie" (see lie (v.1)). Original primary sense seems to have been "oath-breaker;" given special application to the devil (c.1000), but also used of giants and cannibals. Meaning "one in league with the devil" is recorded from c.1300. Ending in -ck and meaning "male equivalent of witch" (1568) are from Scottish.

warm (adj.) --- O.E. wearm, from P.Gmc. *warmaz (cf. O.S., O.Fris., M.Du., O.H.G., Ger. warm, O.N. varmr, Goth. warmjan "to warm"), from PIE *ghworm-/*ghwerm- (cf. Skt. gharmah "heat;" O.Pers. Garmapada-, name of the fourth month, corresponding to June/July, from garma- "heat;" Arm. jerm "warm;" Gk. thermos "warm;" L. formus "warm," fornax "oven;" O.Ir. fogeir "heated;" Hitt. war- "to burn"). The root also may be connected to that of O.C.S. goriti "to burn," varu "heat," variti "to cook, boil;" and Lith. verdu "to seethe." The distinction, based on degree of heat, between "warm" and "hot" is general in Balto-Slavic and Gmc., but in other languages one word often covers both (cf. L. calidus, Gk. thermos, Fr. chaud, Sp. caliente). In ref. to feelings, etc., attested from c.1480. Sense in guessing games first recorded 1860, from earlier hunting use in reference to scent or trail (1713). Warm-blooded in ref. to mammals is recorded from 1793. Warm-hearted first recorded c.1500.

warm (v.) --- O.E. wyrman "make warm" and wearmian "become warm;" from the root of warm (adj.). Phrase warm the bench is sports jargon first recorded 1907. Warm up (v.) "exercise before an activity" is attested from 1868. In ref. to appliances, motors, etc., attested from 1947. Noun phrase warm-up "act or practice of warming up" is recorded from 1915.

warmonger (n.) --- 1590, from war (n.) + monger. First attested in Spenser's "Faerie Queene," and perhaps coined by him.

warmth --- c.1175, wearmth, P.Gmc. *warmitho- (cf. M.L.G. wermede, Du. warmte), from *warmo-; see warm (adj.).

warn --- O.E. warnian "to give notice of impending danger," also intrans., "to take heed," from W.Gmc. *warnojanan (cf. O.N. varna "to admonish," O.H.G. warnon "to take heed," Ger. warnen "to warn"); related to O.E. wær "aware, cautious" (see wary).

warp (n.) --- threads running lengthwise in a fabric, O.E. wearp-, from P.Gmc. *warpo- (cf. M.L.G. warp, O.H.G. warf "warp," O.N. varp "cast of a net"), from root *werp- (see warp (v.)). The warp of fabric is that across which the woof is "thrown." Applied in 20c. astrophysics to the "fabric" of space-time, popularized in noun phrase warp speed by 1960s TV series "Star Trek."

warp (v.) --- to bend, twist, distort, O.E. weorpan "to throw, throw away, hit with a missile," from P.Gmc. *werpanan "to fling by turning the arm" (cf. O.S. werpan, O.N. verpa "to throw," Swed. värpa "to lay eggs," O.Fris. werpa, M.L.G., Du. werpen, Ger. werfen, Goth. wairpan "to throw"), from PIE *werb- "to turn, bend" (cf. L. verber "whip, rod;" Gk. rhabdos "rod," rhombos "magic wheel"), from base *wer- "to turn, bend" (see versus). Connection between "turning" and "throwing" is perhaps in the notion of rotating the arm in the act of throwing; cf. Serbo-Cr. obratiti, O.C.S. vreshti "to throw." The meaning "twist out of shape" is first recorded c.1400; intransitive sense is from 1440.

warrant (n.) --- c.1225, "protector, defender," from O.N.Fr. warant (O.Fr. guarant), from Frankish *warand (cf. O.H.G. weren "to authorize, warrant," Ger. gewähren "to grant"), from P.Gmc. *war- "to warn, guard, protect," perhaps from PIE base *wer- "to cover" (cf. L. vereri "to observe with awe, revere, respect, fear;" Gk. ouros "watchman," horan "to see;" Hitt. werite- "to see;" see weir). Sense evolved via notion of "permission from a superior which protects one from blame or responsibility" (c.1300) to "document conveying authority" (c.1513). A warrant office in the military is one who holds office by warrant, rather than by commission.