Online Etymology Dictionary

wanna (v.): representing the casual pronunciation of want to, by 1896.
wannabe (n.): 1981, originally American English surfer slang, from casual pronunciation of want to be; popularized c.1984 in reference to female fans of pop singer Madonna.
want (v.): c.1200, "to be lacking," from Old Norse vanta "to lack, want," earlier *wanaton, from Proto-Germanic *wanen, from PIE *we-no-, from root *eue- "to leave, abandon, give out" (see vain). The meaning "desire, wish for" is first recorded 1706. Related: wanted; wanting.
want (n.): c.1300, "deficiency, shortage," from Old Norse vant, neuter of vanr "wanting, deficient;" related to Old English wanian "to diminish" (see wane). Phrase for want of is recorded from c.1400. Meaning "state of destitution" is recorded from mid-14c. Newspaper want ad is recorded from 1897. Middle English had wantsum (c.1200) "in want, deprived of," literally "want-some."
wanted (adj.): "sought by the police," 1812, present participle adjective from want (v.). Wanted poster attested by 1945.
wanton (adj.): c.1300, wan-towen, "resistant to control; willful," from Middle English privative prefix wan- "wanting, lacking" (from Old English wan "wanting;" see wane) + togen, past participle of teon "to train, discipline;" literally "to pull, draw," from Proto-Germanic *teuhan (cf. Old High German ziohan "to pull;" see tug). The basic notion perhaps is "ill-bred, poorly brought up;" cf. German ungezogen "ill-bred, rude, haughty," literally "unpulled."
As Flies to wanton Boyes are we to th' Gods, They kill vs for their sport. [Shakespeare, "Lear," 1605]
Especially of sexual indulgence from late 14c. The only English survival of a once-common Germanic negating prefix still active in Dutch (cf. wanbestuur "misgovernment," wanluid "discordant sound"), German (wahn-), etc. Related: Wantonly; wantonness.
wanton (n.): "one who is ill-behaved," especially (but not originally) "lascivious, lewd person," c.1400, from wanton (adj.).
wanton (v.): 1580s, from wanton (n.). Related: Wantoned; wantoning.
wap (n.): "a hit, a blow," late 14c., probably of imitative origin. The verb (late 14c.) originally meant "to throw quickly or with violence," and in slang c.1560-1730 it meant "to copulate" (usually used in reference to women).
wapentake (n.): division of certain English counties (equivalent to a hundred in other places), Old English wæpengetæc, from Old Norse vapnatak, from vapna, genitive plural of vapn "weapon" (see 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 (n.): late Old English (c.1050), wyrre, werre, from Old North French werre "war" (Modern French guerre), from Frankish *werra, from Proto-Germanic *werso (cf. Old Saxon werran, Old High German werran, German verwirren "to confuse, perplex"). Cognates suggest the original sense was "to bring into confusion."

Spanish, Portuguese, and Italian guerra are from the same source; Romanic peoples turned to Germanic for a word to avoid Latin bellum because its form tended to merge with bello- "beautiful." There was no common Germanic word for "war" at the dawn of historical times. Old English had many poetic words for "war" (wig, guð, heaðo, hild, all common in personal names), but the usual one to translate Latin bellum was gewin "struggle, strife" (related to win).

First record of war time is late 14c. Warpath (1775) is originally in reference to North American Indians, as are war-whoop (1761), war-paint (1826), and war-dance (1757). War crime first attested 1906. War chest is attested from 1901; now usually figurative. War games translates German Kriegspiel (see kriegspiel).
war (v.): "to make war on," mid-12c.; see war (n.). Related: Warred; warring.
War of 1812: In reference to the conflict between the U.S. and Great Britain, so called in U.S. by 1815.
warble (v.): c.1300, from Old North French werbler "to sing with trills and quavers," from Frankish *werbilon (cf. Old High German wirbil "whirlwind," German Wirbel "whirl, whirlpool, tuning peg, vertebra," Middle Dutch wervelen "to turn, whirl"); see whirl. The noun meaning "tune, melody" is recorded from c.1300. Related: Warbled; warbling.
warbler (n.): agent noun from warble (v.). Applied to Old World songbirds by 1773 and to North American birds that look like them but sing little by 1783.
ward (n.): Old English weard "a guarding, a watchman, a sentry," from West Germanic *wardo (cf. Old Saxon ward, Old Norse vörðr, Old High German wart). Used for administrative districts (at first in the sense of guardianship) from late 14c.; of hospital divisions from 1749. Meaning "minor under control of a guardian" is from early 15c. Ward-heeler is 1890, from heeler "loafer, one on the lookout for shady work" (1870s).
ward (v.): Old English weardian "to keep guard," from Proto-Germanic *wardojan- (cf. Old Saxon wardon, Old Norse varða "to guard," Old Frisian wardia, Middle Dutch waerden "to take care of," Old High German warten "to guard, look out for, expect," German warten "to wait, wait on, nurse, tend"), from *wardo- (see ward (n.)). French garder, Italian guardare, Spanish guardar are Germanic loan-words. Meaning "to parry, to fend off" (now usually with off) is recorded from 1570s. Related: Warded; warding.
warden (n.): early 13c., "one who guards," from Old North French wardein, from Frankish *warding- (cf. Old French guardenc), from *wardon "to watch, guard" (see ward (v.)). Meaning "governor of a prison" is recorded from c.1300.
warder (n.): c.1400, "guardian of an entrance," from Anglo-French wardere "guardian," agent noun from Old North French warder "to guard" (Old French garder), of Germanic origin (see guard (n.)).
Wardour-street (n.): "affected pseudo-archaic diction of historical novels," 1888, from street in London lined with shops selling imitation-antique furniture.
This is not literary English of any date; this is Wardour-Street Early English -- a perfectly modern article with a sham appearance of the real antique about it. [A. Ballantyne, "Wardour-Street English," Longman's Magazine, October, 1888]
wardrobe (n.): late 14c., "room where wearing apparel is kept," earlier "a private chamber" (c.1300), from Old North French warderobe, variant of Old French 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. Wardrobe malfunction is from 2004.
ware (n.): "manufactured goods, goods for sale," Old English waru, probably originally "object of care, that which is kept in custody," from Proto-Germanic *waro (cf. Swedish vara, Danish vare, Old Frisian were, Middle Dutch were, Dutch waar, Middle High German, German ware "goods"); related to Old English 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," and Middle English had ape-ware "deceptive or false ware; tricks" (mid-13c.).
ware (v.): "to take heed of, beware," Old English warian "to guard against," from Proto-Germanic *warojan, from *waro- "to guard, watch" (cf. Old Frisian waria, Old Norse vara); related to Old English wær "aware" (see wary).
warehouse (n.): mid-14c., from ware (n.) + house. Cf. Dutch warenhuis, German warenhaus. Meaning "large impersonal institution" is American English colloquial, first attested 1970.
warehouse (v.): 1799, from warehouse (n.). In the colloquial sense from 1972. Related: Warehoused; warehousing.
warf: see Warfarin.
warfare (n.): mid-15c., from war (n.) + fare (see fare (n.)).
Warfarin (n.): 1950, from WARF, acronym from Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation + -arin, from Coumarin. The organization describes itself as "an independent, nonprofit foundation chartered to support research at the U[niversity of] W[isconsin]-Madison and the designated technology transfer organization for the university."
warhead (n.): 1898, "explosive part of a torpedo," from war + head (n.). Later transferred to any missile (1944).
warhorse (n.): 1650s, "powerful horse ridden into war," from war + horse (n.). Figurative sense of "seasoned veteran" of anything is attested from 1837. In reference to women perceived as tough, by 1921.
Waring: brand name of a type of food processor, 1948, manufactured by Waring Products Corp., N.Y., U.S.
warlike (adj.): early 15c., from war (n.) + -like.
warlock (n.): Old English wærloga "traitor, liar, enemy," from wær "faith, a compact" (cf. Old High German wara "truth," Old Norse 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 a witch" (1560s) are from Scottish.
warlord (n.): 1856, from war (n.) + lord (n.). Often a translation of German Kriegsherr or Chinese junfa.
warm (adj.): Old English wearm, from Proto-Germanic *warmaz (cf. Old Saxon, Old Frisian, Middle Dutch, Old High German, German warm, Old Norse varmr, Gothic warmjan "to warm"), from PIE *gwher- (cf. Sanskrit gharmah "heat;" Old Persian Garmapada-, name of the fourth month, corresponding to June/July, from garma- "heat;" Armenian jerm "warm;" Greek thermos "warm;" Latin formus "warm," fornax "oven;" Old Irish fogeir "heated;" Hittite war- "to burn"). The root also may be connected to that of Old Church Slavonic goriti "to burn," varu "heat," variti "to cook, boil;" and Lithuanian verdu "to seethe."

The distinction, based on degree of heat, between "warm" and "hot" is general in Balto-Slavic and Germanic, but in other languages one word often covers both (cf. Latin calidus, Greek thermos, French chaud, Spanish caliente). In reference to feelings, etc., attested from late 15c. Sense in guessing games first recorded 1860, from earlier hunting use in reference to scent or trail (1713). Warm-blooded in reference to mammals is recorded from 1793. Warm-hearted first recorded c.1500.
warm (v.): Old English 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 reference to appliances, motors, etc., attested from 1947. Noun phrase warm-up "act or practice of warming up" is recorded from 1915.
warmonger (n.): 1580s, from war (n.) + monger (n.). First attested in Spenser's "Faerie Queene," and perhaps coined by him.
warmth (n.): late 12c., wearmth, Proto-Germanic *warmitho- (cf. Middle Low German wermede, Dutch warmte), from *warmo- (see warm (adj.)).
warn (v.): Old English warnian "to give notice of impending danger," also intransitive, "to take heed," from West Germanic *warnojanan (cf. Old Norse varna "to admonish," Old High German warnon "to take heed," German warnen "to warn"); related to Old English wær "aware, cautious" (see wary). Related: Warned; warning.
warp (v.): "to bend, twist, distort," Old English weorpan "to throw, throw away, hit with a missile," from Proto-Germanic *werpanan "to fling by turning the arm" (cf. Old Saxon werpan, Old Norse verpa "to throw," Swedish värpa "to lay eggs," Old Frisian werpa, Middle Low German and Dutch werpen, German werfen, Gothic wairpan "to throw"), from PIE *werb- "to turn, bend" (cf. Latin verber "whip, rod;" Greek rhabdos "rod," rhombos "magic wheel"), from root *wer- (3) "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-Croatian obratiti, Old Church Slavonic vreshti "to throw." The meaning "twist out of shape" is first recorded c.1400; intransitive sense is from mid-15c. Related: Warped; warping.
warp (n.): "threads running lengthwise in a fabric," Old English wearp-, from Proto-Germanic *warpo- (cf. Middle Low German warp, Old High German warf "warp," Old Norse 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."
warpath (n.): 1775, in reference to North American Indians, from war (n.) + path (n.).
warrant (n.): early 13c., "protector, defender," from Old North French warant (Old French garant), from Frankish *warand (cf. Old High German weren "to authorize, warrant," German gewähren "to grant"), from Proto-Germanic *war- "to warn, guard, protect," perhaps from PIE root *wer- "to cover" (cf. Latin vereri "to observe with awe, revere, respect, fear;" Greek ouros "watchman," horan "to see;" Hittite 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" (1510s). A warrant officer in the military is one who holds office by warrant, rather than by commission.
warrant (v.): late 13c., "to keep safe from danger," from Old North French warantir (Old French garantir), from warant (see warrant (n.)).

Meaning "to guarantee to be of quality" is attested from late 14c.; sense of "to guarantee as true" is recorded from c.1300. Related: Warranted; warranting.
warrantee (n.): 1706, from warrant (n.) + -ee.
warranty (n.): mid-14c., legal term for various types of clauses in real estate transactions, from Anglo-French and Old North French warantie (Old French guarantie), from warant (see warrant (n.)).
warren (n.): late 14c., "piece of land enclosed for breeding beasts and fowls," from Anglo-French and Old North French warenne, Old French garenna "game park," possibly from Gaulish *varenna "enclosed area," related to *varros "post." Or the Old French forms may derive from the present participle of Old French warir "defend, keep," from the Germanic root *war- "to protect, guard" (source of Old English warian "take care;" see warrant (n.)). Later especially "piece of land for breeding of rabbits" (c.1400), which led to the transferred sense of "cluster of densely populated living spaces" (1640s).
warrior (n.): c.1300, from Old North French werreieor (Old French guerreor) "a warrior, one who wages war," from werreier "wage war," from werre (see war (n.)).
warry (adj.): "war-like," 1901, from war (n.) + -y (2).
Warsaw: Polish capital, Polish Warszawa, of unknown origin. The Warsaw Pact "Cold War Eastern Bloc military alliance" is from the Treaty of Warsaw, signed there May 14, 1955. Signatories were the Soviet Union, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, East Germany, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Albania.