worrying

The word 'worrying' originates from the Old English verb wyrgan, which meant "to strangle" or "to choke". This violent, physical sense evolved metaphorically in Middle English to describe the act of harassing or attacking someone, much like a dog might worry a sheep by biting and shaking it. By the 17th century, the meaning had internalized to describe the mental state of being harassed or troubled by anxieties, as if one's thoughts were being choked or seized. The modern participle/adjective 'worrying' thus retains this logic, capturing the essence of something that seizes the mind and causes mental distress, directly descending from the ancient action of physical suffocation.