answer (n.)
O.E. andswaru “an answer, a reply,” from and- “against” (see ante) + -swaru “affirmation,” from swerian “to swear” (see swear), suggesting an original sense of “make a sworn statement rebutting a charge.” A common Germanic compound (cf. O.S. antswor, O.N. andsvar, O.Fris. ondser, Dan., Swed. ansvar), implying a P.Gmc. *andswara-. Meaning “a reply to a question,” the main modern sense, was in O.E. Meaning “solution of a problem” is from c.1300.
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i was having a why does answer have a ‘w’ ?-moment.
