Etymology of "worship"
The verb "worship" means "to shape worth." The meanings of "worth" suggest the purpose of worshipping: to come to be equal to, or to turn toward, the highest or best values. To worship is to give useful, instructive shape to those often abstract values, to symbolize or articulate them in memorable and helpful ways. We create, and we cut back, the words and symbols we use in worship according to their usefulness. They are never fixed, but do endure as long as they serve the purpose of showing us the good we strive toward (or of binding a worshipping community together).
WORSHIP (n) O.E. woršscip, wuršscip (Anglian), weoršscipe (W.Saxon) "condition of being worthy, honor, renown," from weorš "worthy" (see WORTH) + -scipe (see -SHIP). Sense of "reverence paid to a supernatural or divine being" is first recorded c.1300. The original sense is preserved in the title worshipful (c.1300). The verb is recorded from c.1200.
WORTH (1) O.E. weorš "equal in value to," from P.Gmc. *werthaz “toward, opposite,” hence “equivalent, worth" (cf. O.Fris. werth, O.N. veršr, Du. waard, O.H.G. werd, Ger. wert, Goth. wairps "worth, worthy"), perhaps a derivative of PIE *wert- "to turn, wind," from base *wer- "to turn, bend" (see VERSUS). O.C.S. vredu, Lith. vertas "worth" are Gmc. loan-words. Worthless is first attested 1588; worthwhile is recorded from 1884.
WORTH (2) "to come to be," now chiefly, if not solely, in the archaic expression woe worth the day, present subjunctive of O.E. weoran "to become, be, to befall," from P.Gmc. *werthan "to become" (cf. O.S., O.Du. werthan, O.N. verša, O.Fris. wertha, O.H.G. werdan, Ger. werden, Goth. wairpan "to become"), lit. "to turn into," from P.Gmc. *werthaz “toward, opposite,” perhaps a derivative of PIE *wert- "to turn, wind," from base *wer- "to turn, bend" (see VERSUS).
WORTHY (adj) c.1250, "having merit," from WORTH (1). Attested from c.1300 as a noun meaning "person of merit" (esp. in Nine Worthies, famous men of history and legend: Joshua, David, Judas Maccabęus, Hector, Alexander, Julius Cęsar, Arthur, Charlemagne, Godfrey of Bouillon - three Jews, three gentiles, three Christians).
[-WORTH as final element in place names, is from O.E. worp "enclosed place, homestead."]
VERSUS 1447, in legal case names, denoting action of one party against another, from L. versus "turned toward or against," from pp. of vertere "to turn," from PIE *wert- "to turn, wind," from base *wer- "to turn, bend" (cf. O.E. -weard "toward," originally "turned toward," weorthan "to befall," wyrd "fate, destiny," lit. "what befalls one;" Skt. vartate "turns round, rolls;" Avestan varet- "to turn;" L. vertere (freq. versare) "to turn;" O.C.S. vruteti "to turn, roll," Rus. vreteno "spindle, distaff;" Lith. verciu "to turn;" Gk. rhatane "stirrer, ladle;" Ger. werden, O.E. weoršan "to become," for sense, cf. "to turn into;" Welsh gwerthyd "spindle, distaff;" O.Ir. frith "against").
-SHIP O.E. -sciepe, Anglian -scip "state, condition of being," from P.Gmc. *-skapaz (cf. O.N. -skapr, O.Fris. -skip, Du. -schap, Ger. -schaft), from base *skap- "to create, ordain, appoint." Cognate with O.E. gesceape (see SHAPE).
SHAPE (v) O.E. scapan, pp. of scieppan "to create, form, destine," from P.Gmc. *skapjanan "create, ordain" (cf. O.N. skapa, Dan. skabe, O.Fris. skeppa, O.H.G. scaffan, Ger. schaffen), from PIE base *(s)kep- "to cut, to scrape, to hack" (see SHAVE), which acquired broad technical senses and in Gmc. a specific sense of "to create." O.E. scieppan survived into M.E. as shippen, but shape emerged as a regular verb (with pt. shaped) by 1500s. The old past participle form shapen survives in misshapen. Phrase Shape up (v.) is attested from 1865 as "progress;" from 1938 as "reform;" shape up or ship out is attested from 1956, originally U.S. military slang, with the sense being "do right or get shipped up to active duty."
SHAPE (n) O.E. gesceap "creation, form, destiny," from root of SHAPE (v.). Meaning "contours of the body" is attested from c.1393. Meaning "condition, state" is first recorded 1865, Amer.Eng. In M.E., the word also had a sense of "a woman's private parts." Shapely "well-formed" is recorded from 1382.
SHAVE (v) O.E. sceafan "to scrape, shave, polish," from P.Gmc. *skabanan (cf. O.N. skafa, M.Du. scaven, Ger. schaben, Goth. skaban), from PIE *skabh-, collateral form of base *(s)kep- "to cut, to scrape, to hack" (cf. Gk. skaptein "to dig," L. scabere "to scratch, scrape;" see SHEAR). Original strong verb status is preserved in past tense form shaven. Specifically in ref. to cutting the hair close from c.1250. Fig. sense of "to strip (someone) of money or possessions" is attested from c.1399.
SHAVE (n) 1604, "something shaved off;" from SHAVE (v.); O.E. sceafa meant "tool for shaving." Meaning "a grazing touch" is recorded from 1834. Shaver "one who shaves" is recorded from c.1425; sense of "fellow, chap" is slang from 1592; phrase a close shave is from 1856, on notion of "a slight, grazing touch."
SHEAR (v) O.E. sceran, scieran (class IV strong verb; past tense scear, pp. scoren), from P.Gmc. *sker- "to cut" (cf. O.N., O.Fris. skera, Du. scheren, Ger. scheren "to shear"), from PIE *(s)ker- "to cut, to scrape, to hack" (cf. Skt. krnati "hurts, wounds, kills," krntati "cuts;" Hittite karsh- "to cut off;" Gk. keirein "to cut, shear;" Lith. skiriu "to separate;" O.Ir. scaraim "I separate;" Welsh ysgar "to separate," ysgyr "fragment").