Old English words from Proto-West Germanic
444 Old English words with Proto-West Germanic in their history, whether borrowed directly or passed on through other languages (page 4).
heah
It is inherited from Proto-West Germanic *hauh, from Proto-Germanic *hauhaz (“high”). The adjective is common Germanic: Gothic 𐌷𐌰𐌿𐌷𐍃 (hauhs), Old Norse hár, Old Frisian hāch, Old Saxon hōh and Old…
healdan
It is inherited from Proto-West Germanic *haldan, from Proto-Germanic *haldaną (“to watch, to look after”). The Proto-Germanic verb survives as Gothic 𐌷𐌰𐌻𐌳𐌰𐌽 (haldan, “to tend, to herd”), Old Norse…
heall
1. The word for the hall is inherited from Proto-West Germanic *hallu, from Proto-Germanic *hallō (“hall”). It is shared with Old Saxon halla, Old High German halla and Old Norse hǫll. Holthausen…
heard
It is inherited from Proto-West Germanic *hard, from Proto-Germanic *harduz (“hard”). The adjective is found in all the old Germanic languages: Gothic 𐌷𐌰𐍂𐌳𐌿𐍃 (hardus), Old Norse harðr, Old Frisian…
hearm
It is inherited from Proto-West Germanic *harm, from Proto-Germanic *harmaz (“harm, sorrow”). The Proto-Germanic noun is continued in Old Norse harmr (“sorrow, grief”), Old Frisian herm, Old Saxon…
hearpe
It is inherited from Proto-West Germanic *harpā, from Proto-Germanic *harpǭ (“harp”). The word is shared by Old Norse harpa, Old Saxon harpa and Old High German harpfa. The Romance words for the…
hebban
It is inherited from Proto-West Germanic *habbjan, from Proto-Germanic *habjaną (“to lift”). Its cognates are Gothic 𐌷𐌰𐍆𐌾𐌰𐌽 (hafjan), Old Norse hefja, Old Frisian hebba, Old Saxon hebbian and Old…
hecg
It is inherited from Proto-West Germanic *haggju, from Proto-Germanic *hagjō (“hedge”). Its cognates are Old High German heckia (also heggia), whence German Hecke, and Middle Dutch hegge, whence…
hedan
It is inherited from Proto-West Germanic *hōdijan (“to guard, heed”), a weak verb of the first class with cognates in Old Saxon hōdian (“to guard, watch over”), Old Dutch huodon and Old High German…
helan
It is inherited from Proto-West Germanic *helan, from Proto-Germanic *helaną (“to hide, conceal”). The strong verb is found across West Germanic: Old Frisian hela, Old Saxon helan and Old High…
helpan
It is inherited from Proto-West Germanic *helpan, from Proto-Germanic *helpaną (“to help”). The strong verb is found throughout Germanic: Gothic 𐌷𐌹𐌻𐍀𐌰𐌽 (hilpan), Old Norse hjalpa, Old Frisian helpa…
heorte
It is inherited from Proto-West Germanic *hertā, from Proto-Germanic *hertô (“heart”). Its cognates are Gothic 𐌷𐌰𐌹𐍂𐍄𐍉 (hairtō), Old Norse hjarta, Old Frisian herte, Old Saxon herta and Old High…
her
It is inherited from Proto-West Germanic *hēr, from Proto-Germanic *hē₂r (“here”). The adverb is shared by all the old Germanic languages: Gothic 𐌷𐌴𐍂 (hēr), Old Norse hér, Old Frisian hīr, Old Saxon…
hieran
It is inherited from Proto-West Germanic *hauʀijan, from Proto-Germanic *hauzijaną (“to hear”). Its cognates are Old Frisian hēra, Old Saxon hōrian, Old High German hōren, Old Norse heyra and Gothic…
hladan
It is inherited from Proto-West Germanic *hlaþan, from Proto-Germanic *hlaþaną (“to load”). The strong verb is found across Germanic: Old Norse hlaða (“to load, pile up”), Old Frisian hlada, Old…
hlaf
It is inherited from Proto-West Germanic *hlaib, from Proto-Germanic *hlaibaz (“bread, loaf”). Its cognates are Gothic 𐌷𐌻𐌰𐌹𐍆𐍃 (hlaifs), Old Norse hleifr and Old High German leib. The origin is…
hleapan
It is inherited from Proto-West Germanic *hlaupan, from Proto-Germanic *hlaupaną (“to run, to jump”). The verb is shared by the other old Germanic languages: Old Frisian hlāpa, Old Saxon hlōpan, Old…
hlid
It is inherited from Proto-West Germanic *hlid, from Proto-Germanic *hlidą (“lid, cover”). The noun is also found in Old Norse hlið (“gate, gateway”), Old Frisian hlid, Old Saxon hlid and Old High…
hlud
It is inherited from Proto-West Germanic *hlūd (“loud, famous”), from Proto-Germanic *hlūdaz (“loud”). Its cognates are Old Frisian hlūd, Old Saxon hlūd and Old High German hlūt. Kroonen derives it…
hnutu
It is inherited from Proto-West Germanic *hnut, from Proto-Germanic *hnuts (“nut”). The noun is Old Norse hnot, Old Saxon hnut and Old High German nuz (also hnuz), continued by Dutch noot and German…
hol
1. The word for the hole is inherited from Proto-West Germanic *hol (“hollow space, cavity”), from Proto-Germanic *hulą, a noun made from the adjective *hulaz (“hollow”). The noun has the same form…
hopian
It is inherited from Proto-West Germanic *hopōn, a word of uncertain origin. It is shared with Old Frisian hopia, Old Saxon hopōn and Middle Low German hopen; Middle High German hoffen is the same…
hrif
It is inherited from Proto-West Germanic *hrif, from Proto-Germanic *hrefaz (“body, belly”). Its cognates are Old Frisian href (“belly”) and Old High German href (“womb”), also written ref…
hring
It is inherited from Proto-West Germanic *hring, from Proto-Germanic *hringaz (“ring, circle”). The noun is found as Old Frisian hring, Old Saxon hring, Old High German ring and Old Norse hringr…
hrost
It is inherited from Proto-West Germanic *hrōst, from Proto-Germanic *hrōstaz (“wooden framework; grill”). The only certain cognate in the old languages is Old Saxon hrōst (“rafters, roof…
hrycg
It is inherited from Proto-West Germanic *hrugi, from Proto-Germanic *hrugjaz (“ridge, back”). The Proto-Germanic noun survives as Old Norse hryggr, Old Frisian hreg, Old Saxon hruggi, Old Dutch…
hund
1. The noun “dog” is inherited from Proto-West Germanic *hund, from Proto-Germanic *hundaz (“dog”). It is shared by all the old Germanic languages: Gothic 𐌷𐌿𐌽𐌳𐍃 (hunds), Old Norse hundr, Old Frisian…
hus
It is inherited from Proto-West Germanic *hūs, from Proto-Germanic *hūsą (“house”). The noun is found across Germanic: Gothic 𐌲𐌿𐌳𐌷𐌿𐍃 (gudhūs, “temple”) (only in this compound), Old Norse hús, Old…
hwa
It is inherited from Proto-West Germanic *hwaʀ, from Proto-Germanic *hwaz (“who”). Kroonen counts it as the Indo-European interrogative pronoun, with Gothic 𐍈𐌰𐍃 (ƕas), Old Norse hverr, Old Saxon hwē…
hwær
It is inherited from Proto-West Germanic *hwār, from Proto-Germanic *hwar (“where”). The adverb is common Germanic: Gothic 𐍈𐌰𐍂 (ƕar), Old Norse hvar, Old Frisian hwēr, Old Saxon hwār and Old High…
hwæþer
It is inherited from Proto-West Germanic *hwaþar, from Proto-Germanic *hwaþeraz (“which of two”). The pronoun is found in all the old Germanic languages: Gothic 𐍈𐌰𐌸𐌰𐍂 (ƕaþar), Old Norse hvárr, Old…
hwil
It is inherited from Proto-West Germanic *hwīlu, from Proto-Germanic *hwīlō (“while”). The noun is Gothic 𐍈𐌴𐌹𐌻𐌰 (ƕeila, “time, hour”), Old Norse hvíla (“bed”), Old Frisian hwīle, Old Saxon hwīla and…
hyf
It is inherited from Proto-West Germanic *hūfi (“beehive”). Holthausen and de Vries connect it with Old Norse húfr (“hull of a ship”) and with a Low German dialect word for a beehive. Outside…
hyll
It is inherited from Proto-West Germanic *hulli (“hill”), from Proto-Germanic *hulliz. Wiktionary traces the Proto-Germanic noun to the i-stem Proto-Indo-European *kólHn-i-s, built on an older…
ic
It is inherited from Proto-West Germanic *ik, from Proto-Germanic *ik, the unstressed form of *ek, from Proto-Indo-European *eǵh₂óm. The other Germanic languages have Gothic 𐌹𐌺 (ik), Old Norse ek…
in
It is inherited from Proto-West Germanic *in, from Proto-Germanic *in. The preposition is common Germanic: Gothic 𐌹𐌽 (in), Old Norse í, Old Frisian in, Old Saxon in and Old High German in. It…
is
It is inherited from Proto-West Germanic *īs, from Proto-Germanic *īsą (“ice”). The word is Old Norse íss, Old Frisian īs, Old Saxon īs and Old High German īs in the other Germanic languages. It has…
lad
1. The word for the way and the carrying is inherited from Proto-West Germanic *laidu, from Proto-Germanic *laidō (“a leading; way, course”). Orel derives the Proto-Germanic noun from *līþaną (“to…
lædan
It is inherited from Proto-West Germanic *laidijan (“to lead”), from Proto-Germanic *laidijaną (“to make go”), the causative of *līþaną (“to go (away)”), which survives as līþan (“to go, travel”)…
læstan
It is inherited from Proto-West Germanic *laistijan, from Proto-Germanic *laistijaną (“to follow”). The verb was made from the Germanic noun Proto-Germanic *laistiz (“track, trace”), and Wiktionary…
læt
1. The word for slow and late is inherited from Proto-West Germanic *lat, from Proto-Germanic *lataz (“lax, sluggish”). Its cognates are Gothic 𐌻𐌰𐍄𐍃 (lats, “sluggish”), Old Norse latr (“slow…
lætan
It is inherited from Proto-West Germanic *lātan, from Proto-Germanic *lētaną (“to let go, allow”). Its cognates are Gothic 𐌻𐌴𐍄𐌰𐌽 (letan), Old Norse láta, Old Frisian lēta, Old Saxon lātan and Old…
lagu
1. The word for the sea is inherited from Proto-West Germanic *lagu (“water, sea”), from Proto-Germanic *laguz. It is a u-stem noun shared with North Germanic and Old Saxon: Old Norse lǫgr (“sea…
land
It is inherited from Proto-West Germanic *land, from Proto-Germanic *landą (“land”). The noun is shared by all the old Germanic languages: Gothic 𐌻𐌰𐌽𐌳 (land), Old Norse land, Old Frisian land, Old…
lang
It is inherited from Proto-West Germanic *lang, from Proto-Germanic *langaz (“long”). Its cognates are Gothic 𐌻𐌰𐌲𐌲𐍃 (laggs), Old Norse langr, Old Frisian long, Old Saxon lang and Old High German…
leaf
1. The word for the leaf is inherited from Proto-West Germanic *laub, from Proto-Germanic *laubą (“foliage”). Its cognates are Gothic 𐌻𐌰𐌿𐍆𐍃 (laufs), Old Norse lauf, Old Frisian lāf, Old Saxon lōf…
-leas
It is inherited from Proto-West Germanic *-laus, from Proto-Germanic *-lausaz, and within Old English it is the adjective lēas (“free from, without; false”). The adjective continues *lausaz (“empty…
lecgan
It is inherited from Proto-West Germanic *laggjan, from Proto-Germanic *lagjaną (“to lay, to put”). The Proto-Germanic verb is the causative of *ligjaną (“to lie”), which gave liċġan. It is found…
leornian
It is inherited from Proto-West Germanic *liʀnōn, from Proto-Germanic *lizaną (“to know”). Holthausen and Köbler give the Germanic verb as *liznōn. The cognates are Old Frisian lirnia, Old Saxon…
libban
It is inherited from Proto-West Germanic *libbjan, from Proto-Germanic *libjaną (“to live”). The verb is shared by Gothic 𐌻𐌹𐌱𐌰𐌽 (liban), Old Norse lifa (“to live; to be left”), Old Frisian libba…
-lic
It is inherited from Proto-West Germanic *-līk, from Proto-Germanic *-līkaz, an adjective suffix made from *līką (“body; earlier form, shape”), the source of the Old English noun līċ (“body…
licgan
It is inherited from Proto-West Germanic *liggjan, from Proto-Germanic *ligjaną (“to lie”), from Proto-Indo-European *legʰ- (“to lie”). Its cognates are Gothic 𐌻𐌹𐌲𐌰𐌽 (ligan), Old Norse liggja, Old…
lif
It is inherited from Proto-West Germanic *līb, from Proto-Germanic *lībą (“body; life”). The noun is found in the other Germanic languages: Old Norse líf (“life, body”), Old Frisian līf, Old Saxon…
lim
1. The word for a limb is inherited from Proto-West Germanic *limu, which Wiktionary relates to Proto-West Germanic *liþu, the source of liþ (“joint, limb”). Its nearest relatives are Old Norse limr…
lippa
It is inherited from Proto-West Germanic *lippjō, from Proto-Germanic *lipjô (“lip”). Kroonen reconstructs the Proto-Germanic noun as *lepjan-, Orel as *lep(j)ōn; it is also the source of Old…
loc
It is inherited from Proto-West Germanic *lok (“shutter, lock”), from Proto-Germanic *luką. Orel and Köbler set the same Proto-Germanic noun behind Gothic 𐌿𐍃𐌻𐌿𐌺 (usluk, “opening”), Old Norse lok…
lufu
It is inherited from Proto-West Germanic *lubu, from Proto-Germanic *lubō (“love”). The same noun is Old Frisian luve, Old Saxon luva, Old High German luba and the second part of Gothic 𐌱𐍂𐍉𐌸𐍂𐌿𐌻𐌿𐌱𐍉…
lus
It is inherited from Proto-West Germanic *lūs, from Proto-Germanic *lūs (“louse”). The word is shared by Old Norse lús, Middle Low German lūs and Old High German lūs (now German Laus). Outside…
lust
It is inherited from Proto-West Germanic *lustu, from Proto-Germanic *lustuz (“desire, lust”). The word is found in Gothic 𐌻𐌿𐍃𐍄𐌿𐍃 (lustus), Old Frisian lust, Old Saxon lust and Old High German lust…
lyft
It is inherited from Proto-West Germanic *lufti, from Proto-Germanic *luftuz (“roof, air”). Wiktionary takes the West Germanic form as a remodelling of *luftu as an i-stem. Its cognates are Gothic…