the word 'wayward' is a native english formation, originating in the late middle english period. it is a compound of the old english elements 'weg' (way, path) and '-weard' (a suffix denoting direction, as in 'toward' or 'forward'). the original, now archaic, sense was "turning away from the intended or expected path," implying capriciousness or inconstancy. over time, this literal sense of physical deviation evolved into the modern abstract meaning, describing a person or behavior that is willful, disobedient, and difficult to guide, as if straying from the proper moral or social path.

Structure: way + ward way (old english, meaning "path, road, journey") + ward (old english, suffix meaning "tending or turning towards, in the direction of")