Online Etymology Dictionary

woodwind (n.): 1876, from wood (n.) + wind (n.1) in the musical instrument sense. Related: Woodwinds.
woodwork (n.): "article made of wood," 1640s, from wood (n.) + work (n.). Especially applied to wooden details of a house, hence figurative use of to come (or crawl) out of the woodwork, by 1960, suggestive of cockroaches, etc.
woody (adj.): late 14c., "overgrown with trees and shrubs," from wood (n.) + -y (2). Of plants, "having a stem of wood," from 1570s. Related: Woodiness. Old English had wudulic. As a name for a kind of station wagon with wood panels, by 1961, U.S. surfer slang (real wood exterior panels were rare after 1951 and the last use of real wood was in the 1953 Buick Roadmaster Estate Wagon). Slang meaning "erection" attested by 1990 (for hardness).
woof (n.1): "weft, texture, fabric," Old English owef, from o- "on" + wefan "to weave" (see weave). With excrescent -w- by influence of warp or weft.
woof (n.2): dog bark noise, first recorded 1804, echoic.
woofer (n.): "loudspeaker for bass notes," 1935, imitative.
wool (n.): Old English wull "wool, fine soft hair which forms the coat of some animals," from Proto-Germanic *wulno (source also of Old Norse ull, Old Frisian wolle, Middle Dutch wolle, Dutch wol, Old High German wolla, German wolle, Gothic wulla), from PIE *wele- (1) "wool" (source also of Sanskrit urna; Avestan varena; Greek lenos "wool;" Latin lana "wool," vellus "fleece;" Old Church Slavonic vluna, Russian vulna, Lithuanian vilna "wool;" Middle Irish olann, Welsh gwlan "wool").

Figurative expression pull the wool over (someone's) eyes is recorded from 1838, American English. To be literally dyed in the wool (1725, as opposed to dyed in the piece) is to be so before spinning, while the material is in its raw state, which has a more durable effect; hence the figurative sense "from the beginning; most thoroughly," attested from 1809, and especially, in U.S. politics, from 1830.
wool-gathering (n.): also woolgathering, 1550s, "indulging in wandering fancies and purposeless thinking," from the literal meaning "gathering fragments of wool torn from sheep by bushes, etc.," an activity that necessitates much wandering to little purpose. See wool + gather.
woolen (adj.): also woollen (chiefly British English), Old English wullen, wyllen "made of wool," from wool + -en (2). Related: Woolens; woollens.
Woolworth: also Woolworth's, often in reference to inexpensive merchandise, from the F.W. Woolworth & Company chain of "five-and-ten-cent stores," begun 1879 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
wooly (adj.): also woolly, 1570s, "resembling or made of wool," from wool + -y (2). Meaning "barbarous, rude" is recorded 1891, from wild and wooly (1884) applied to the U.S. western frontier, perhaps in reference to range steers or to unkempt cowboys. Related: Wooliness.
woozy (adj.): "muddled or dazed, as with drink," 1897, American English colloquial, variant of oozy "muddy," or an alteration of boozy. It is recorded in 1896 as student slang, but with a sense "foolish, behind the times," also "pleasant, delightful."
wop (n.): derogatory for "Italian," 1912, American English slang, apparently from southern Italian dialect guappo "dandy, dude, stud," a greeting among male Neapolitans, said to be from Spanish guapo "bold, dandy," which is from Latin vappa "sour wine," also "worthless fellow;" related to vapidus (see vapid). It is probably not an acronym, and the usual story that it is one seems to date only to c. 1985.
Worcester: Wireceastre (1086), Old English Wigranceastre (717), Weogorna civitas (691), from Weogora, a tribal name. Worcestershire sauce (Lea & Perrin's) is attested from 1843.
word (n.): Old English word "speech, talk, utterance, sentence, statement, news, report, word," from Proto-Germanic *wurdan (source also of Old Saxon, Old Frisian word, Dutch woord, Old High German, German wort, Old Norse orð, Gothic waurd), from PIE *were- (3) "speak, say" (see verb).

The meaning "promise" was in Old English, as was the theological sense. In the plural, the meaning "verbal altercation" (as in to have words with someone) dates from mid-15c. Word processor first recorded 1971; word processing is from 1972; word wrap is from 1977. A word to the wise is from Latin phrase verbum sapienti satis est "a word to the wise is enough." Word-for-word is late 14c. Word of mouth is recorded from 1550s.
It is dangerous to leave written that which is badly written. A chance word, upon paper, may destroy the world. Watch carefully and erase, while the power is still yours, I say to myself, for all that is put down, once it escapes, may rot its way into a thousand minds, the corn become a black smut, and all libraries, of necessity, be burned to the ground as a consequence. [William Carlos Williams, "Paterson"]
word (v.): c. 1200, "to utter;" 1610s, "put into words," from word (n.). Related: Worded; wording.
wordcraft (n.): Old English wordcræft "poetic art, eloquence;" see word (n.) + craft (n.).
wording (n.): "choice of words, manner in which something is expressed," apparently coined by Milton in "Eikonoklastes" (1649). From present participle of word (v.).
wordless (adj.): c. 1200, from word (n.) + -less. Related: Wordlessly.
wordplay (n.): also word-play, 1855; see word (n.) + play (v).
wordsmith (n.): 1896, from word (n.) + smith (n.). There is a "Mrs. F. Wordsmith" in the Detroit City Directory for 1855-56, but perhaps this is a typo.
wordy (adj.): Old English wordig "verbose;" see word (n.) + -y (2).
wore: modern past tense of wear (v.).
work (n.): Old English weorc, worc "something done, discreet act performed by someone, action (whether voluntary or required), proceeding, business; that which is made or manufactured, products of labor," also "physical labor, toil; skilled trade, craft, or occupation; opportunity of expending labor in some useful or remunerative way;" also "military fortification," from Proto-Germanic *werkan (source also of Old Saxon, Old Frisian, Dutch werk, Old Norse verk, Middle Dutch warc, Old High German werah, German Werk, Gothic gawaurki), from PIE *werg-o-, from root *werg- "to do" (see organ).
Work is less boring than amusing oneself. [Baudelaire, "Mon Coeur mis a nu," 1862]

Work and play are words used to describe the same thing under differing conditions. [Mark Twain]
Meaning "physical effort, exertion" is from c. 1200; meaning "scholarly labor" or its productions is from c. 1200; meaning "artistic labor" or its productions is from c. 1200. Meaning "labor as a measurable commodity" is from c. 1300. Meaning "embroidery, stitchery, needlepoint" is from late 14c. Work of art attested by 1774 as "artistic creation," earlier (1728) "artifice, production of humans (as opposed to nature)." Work ethic recorded from 1959. To be out of work "unemployed" is from 1590s. To make clean work of is from c. 1300; to make short work of is from 1640s. Proverbial expression many hands make light work is from c. 1300. To have (one's) work cut out for one is from 1610s; to have it prepared and prescribed, hence, to have all one can handle. Work in progress is from 1930 in a general sense, earlier as a specific term in accountancy and parliamentary procedure.
work (v.): a fusion of Old English wyrcan (past tense worhte, past participle geworht) "prepare, perform, do, make, construct, produce; strive after" (from Proto-Germanic *wurkijan); and Old English wircan (Mercian) "to operate, function, set in motion," a secondary verb formed relatively late from Proto-Germanic noun *werkan (see work (n.)). Sense of "perform physical labor" was in Old English, as was sense "ply one's trade" and "exert creative power, be a creator." Transitive sense "manipulate (physical substances) into a desired state or form" was in Old English. Meaning "have the expected or desired effect" is from late 14c. In Middle English also "perform sexually" (mid-13c.). Related: Worked (15c.); working. To work up "excite" is from c. 1600. To work over "beat up, thrash" is from 1927. To work against "attempt to subvert" is from late 14c.
workable (adj.): 1540s, from work (v.) + -able. Related: Workably; workability.
workaday: c. 1200, werkedei (n.), "day designated for labor rather than religious observance or rest," from Old Norse virkr dagr "working day;" see work (n.) + day. It passed into an adjective 16c.
workaholic (n.): 1968, coined from work (n.) with second element abstracted absurdly from alcoholic. This sets up the old Rodney Dangerfield joke: "My old man was a workaholic: every time he thought about work, he got drunk."
workaround (n.): also work-around, by 1987, from the verbal phrase, from work (v.) + around (adv.).
workbook (n.): 1910, from work (n.) + book (n.).
workday (n.): Old English weorcdæg, from work (n.) + day (n.). The modern word is perhaps a Middle English re-formation. As an adjective (c. 1500) it has generally only the literal sense (compare workaday).
worker (n.): mid-14c., "laborer, toiler, performer, doer," agent noun from work (v.). As a type of bee, 1747. As "one employed for a wage," 1848. Old English had wyrcend "worker, laborer."
workflow (n.): 1949, from work (n.) + flow (n.).
workforce (n.): 1947, from work (n.) + force (n.).
workhorse (n.): 1540s, from work (n.) + horse (n.). Figurative use by 1949.
workhouse (n.): Old English weorchus "workshop;" see work (n.) + house (n.). From 1650s in the sense of "place where the able-bodied poor or petty criminals are lodged and compelled to work."
working (adj.): late 14c., "active, busy," past participle adjective from work (v.). From 1630s as "engaged in physical toil or manual labor as a means of livelihood." Working class is from 1789 as a noun, 1839 as an adjective. Working-day is from late 15c.; working man is by 1816.
working (n.): "action, operation," verbal noun from work (v.).
workload (n.): 1939, from work (n.) + load (n.).
workman (n.): Old English weorcmsnn; see work (n.) + man (n.). Similar formation in Dutch werkman, Old Norse verkmaðr.
workmanlike (adj.): "efficient, no-nonsense," 1739, from workman + like (adj.).
workmanship (n.): early 14c., "performance of labor," from workman + -ship. Meaning "skill as a workman" is from 1520s.
workout (n.): 1909, "boxing bout for training," from work (v.) + out (adv.). General sense of "spell of strenuous physical exercise" is attested by 1922. Verbal phrase work out "solve" (a problem, etc.) is from 1848. Sense of "succeed" attested by 1909.
workplace (n.): 1828, a hybrid from work (n.) + place (n.).
works (n.): Old English, "(someone's) deeds, acts, or actions, the things one has done in life," often especially "good deeds, acts of piety, demonstrations of virtue," plural of work (n.). Meaning "operations pertinent to maintaining a large physical place" (private, religious, or municipal) is from late 14c. Meaning "industrial place" (usually with qualifying adjective) is from late 15c. To be in the works in the extended sense of "in the process of being done or made" is by 1973.
worksheet (n.): 1909, from work (n.) + sheet (n.).
workshop (n.): 1580s, from work (n.) + shop (n.). Meaning "gathering for study, etc.," is from 1937.
workstation (n.): also work-station, 1950, from work (n.) + station (n.). Computer sense is from 1972.
world (n.): Old English woruld, worold "human existence, the affairs of life," also "a long period of time," also "the human race, mankind, humanity," a word peculiar to Germanic languages (cognates: Old Saxon werold, Old Frisian warld, Dutch wereld, Old Norse verold, Old High German weralt, German Welt), with a literal sense of "age of man," from Proto-Germanic *wer "man" (Old English wer, still in werewolf; see virile) + *ald "age" (see old).

Originally "life on earth, this world (as opposed to the afterlife)," sense extended to "the known world," then to "the physical world in the broadest sense, the universe" (c. 1200). In Old English gospels, the commonest word for "the physical world," was Middangeard (Old Norse Midgard), literally "the middle enclosure" (see yard (n.1)), which is rooted in Germanic cosmology. Greek kosmos in its ecclesiastical sense of "world of people" sometimes was rendered in Gothic as manaseþs, literally "seed of man." The usual Old Norse word was heimr, literally "abode" (see home). Words for "world" in some other Indo-European languages derive from the root for "bottom, foundation" (such as Irish domun, Old Church Slavonic duno, related to English deep); the Lithuanian word is pasaulis, from pa- "under" + saule "sun."

Original sense in world without end, translating Latin saecula saeculorum, and in worldly. Latin saeculum can mean both "age" and "world," as can Greek aion. Meaning "a great quantity or number" is from 1580s. Out of this world "surpassing, marvelous" is from 1928; earlier it meant "dead." World Cup is by 1951; U.S. baseball World Series is by 1893 (originally often World's Series). World power in the geopolitical sense first recorded 1900. World-class is attested from 1950, originally of Olympic athletes.
World Bank (n.): 1930, originally of the Bank for International Settlements, set up in Basel by the League of Nations. The modern World Bank was created in 1944.