From Latin 'verbum' (a word), from PIE *werdho- — narrowed by grammarians to mean the action-word.
A word used to describe an action, state, or occurrence, forming the main part of the predicate of a sentence.
From Old French 'verbe,' from Latin 'verbum' (a word, specifically the grammatical word-class expressing action or state), from PIE *werdʰo- (word, spoken thing), from the root *werh₃- (to speak, to say, to declare). The PIE root *werh₃- is well-attested: Gothic 'waurd' (word), Old English 'word' (word), Old High German 'wort' (word), Old Norse 'orð' (word). In Latin 'verbum' retained the general meaning 'word' (as in the Gospel of John's 'In principio erat Verbum' — In the beginning was the Word) while also being the technical grammatical term for the verb as a
'Verb' and 'word' are the same word. Latin 'verbum' and English 'word' both descend from PIE *werdʰo- (word). Latin kept the /w/ as /v/ and English kept it as /w/. So when someone says 'a verb is a doing word,' the etymology nods in agreement: 'verb' literally IS 'word.' It was called 'the word' because Roman grammarians considered it the most essential part of a sentence.
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