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wootz

(wts)

A hard, high-carbon steel developed in India around 300 BC, used in the production of Damascus steel.

[Probably from a misreading of an English transcription of Kannada ukku, urku, steel; akin to Tamil uruku, to melt and urukku, melted thing, steel.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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