Origin and history of worth

Middle English, from Old English weorþ "having worth, significant, of value;" also "valued, appreciated, deserving; honorable, noble, of high rank;" from Proto-Germanic *wertha-, which is of uncertain origin. Boutkan finds no IE etymology for it.

Also in Old English as "suitable for, proper, fit," and "entitled to by excellence or importance." It is attested from c. 1200 as as a "quasi-preposition" [Middle English Compendium], "equivalent to, of the value of, valued at; having importance equal to; equal in power to."

Colloquial dismissive phrase for what it's worth is by 1872; for all it's worth "to the fullest extent" is by 1874 in California newspapers, perhaps a gambler's term.

Germanic cognates include Old Frisian werth, Old Norse verðr, Dutch waard, Old High German werd, German wert, Gothic wairþs "worth, worthy." Old Church Slavonic vredu, Lithuanian vertas "worth," and similar Celtic words are considered to be borrowings from Germanic.

Middle English worthen "come to be, come into being," a very common verb now chiefly, if not solely, in archaic expression woe worth the day, where it is present subjunctive of Old English weorðan "to become, be, to befall," from Proto-Germanic *werthan "to become," literally "to turn into," reconstructed (Watkins) to be from PIE root *wer- (2) "to turn, bend."

Woe worth "evil be to, woe betide" is attested from late 13c. Germanic cognates include Old Saxon, Old Dutch werthan, Old Norse verða, Old Frisian wertha, Old High German werdan, German werden, Gothic wairþan "to become." The Trinity Homilies (c. 1200) have "Wurðe þi wil on eorðe swa hit is on heuene."

Old English weorþ "value of a commodity, monetary price, price paid; equivalent value amount to something else;" also "worth, worthiness, merit;" from worth (adj.). From c. 1200 as "excellence, nobility." By 1590s as "that which one is worth, wealth, riches, means, property."