German words first recorded in the 8th century

It is inherited from Middle High German wazzer, inherited from Old High German wazzar, inherited from Proto-West Germanic *watar, inherited from Proto-Germanic *watōr (“water”). West Germanic has…

It is inherited from Middle High German wīs(e), inherited from Old High German wīsa (“manner, way”), from a feminine noun Proto-Germanic *wīsō (“manner”). The same word is Old Saxon wīsa, Old…

It is inherited from Middle High German welich, inherited from Old High German welīh, inherited from Proto-Germanic *hwalīkaz (“of what form”), a compound of the pronominal stem of wer and…

It is inherited from Middle High German wizzen, inherited from Old High German wizzan, inherited from Proto-West Germanic *witan, inherited from Proto-Germanic *witaną (“to know”). It is a…

It is inherited from Middle High German wünschen, inherited from Old High German wunsken, inherited from Proto-West Germanic *wunskijan, inherited from Proto-Germanic *wunskijaną (“to wish”). The…

It is inherited from Middle High German zehen, inherited from Old High German zehan, inherited from Proto-Germanic *tehun (“ten”). The same word is Gothic 𐍄𐌰𐌹𐌷𐌿𐌽 (taihun), Old Norse tíu, Old English…

It is inherited from Middle High German zeichen, inherited from Old High German zeihhan, inherited from Proto-West Germanic *taikn, inherited from Proto-Germanic *taikną (“sign, token”). The same…

It is inherited from Middle High German ziehen, inherited from Old High German ziohan, inherited from Proto-West Germanic *teuhan, inherited from Proto-Germanic *teuhaną (“to pull, lead”). The same…

It is inherited from Middle High German anelich (also enlich), inherited from Old High German *analīh, found only in derivatives such as analīhhī (“likeness”), beside anagilīh (“similar, equal”)…

It is inherited from Middle High German alter, inherited from Old High German altar, inherited from Proto-Germanic *aldrą (“life, lifetime, age”). The same word is Old Saxon aldar, Old English…

It is borrowed from Latin Augustus (“August”), the month named by the Romans in honour of the emperor Octavian, who bore the title Augustus, “the exalted”. The title is a derivative of an s-stem in…

It is inherited from Middle High German ūz, inherited from Old High German ūz, inherited from Proto-West Germanic *ūt, inherited from Proto-Germanic *ūt (“out”). The same word is Gothic 𐌿𐍄 (ut), Old…

It is inherited from Middle High German bevinden, inherited from Old High German bifindan, inherited from Proto-West Germanic *bifinþan, a prefixed form from German be- + finden. The same verb is…

It is inherited from Middle High German bekomen, inherited from Old High German biqueman, inherited from Proto-West Germanic *bikweman, inherited from Proto-Germanic *bikwemaną (“to come near, come…

It is inherited from Middle High German besliezen, inherited from Old High German bisliozan (“to shut, enclose, conclude”), inherited from Proto-West Germanic *bisleutan, made of the prefix be- and…

It is inherited from Middle High German bevor, inherited from Old High German bifora (“before, earlier”), an adverb run together from bī (“by, at”) and fora (“before, earlier”), that is bei and vor…

1. The verb meaning “induce” is inherited from Middle High German bewëgen, formed from Old High German bi- + wegan (“to weigh, move”). The simple verb continues Proto-Germanic *weganą (“to move…

It is inherited from Middle High German bieten, inherited from Old High German biotan, inherited from Proto-West Germanic *beudan, inherited from Proto-Germanic *beudaną (“to offer, bid”). The same…

It is inherited from Middle High German burgære, inherited from Old High German burgāri. On the face of it this is an agent noun of Burg with the suffix -āri, but the corresponding Old English…

It is inherited from Middle High German dīn, inherited from Old High German dīn, inherited from Proto-Germanic *þīnaz (“your”). The same word is Gothic 𐌸𐌴𐌹𐌽𐍃 (þeins), Old Norse þinn, Old English…

It is inherited from Middle High German doch, inherited from Old High German doh, inherited from Proto-West Germanic *þauh, inherited from Proto-Germanic *þauh (“nevertheless, though”). The same…

It is inherited from Middle High German eigen, inherited from Old High German eigan, inherited from Proto-West Germanic *aigan, inherited from Proto-Germanic *aiganaz (“own”), originally the past…

It is inherited from Middle High German einlif, later eilf, inherited from Old High German einlif, inherited from Proto-Germanic *ainalif (“eleven”), a compound of Proto-Germanic *ainaz (“one”) and…

It is inherited from Middle High German entstēn, inherited from Old High German intstantan, a prefixed verb from German ent- + stehen. Related formations are Middle Low German entstān, Middle Dutch…

It is inherited from Middle High German ervolgen (“to overtake, reach, attain”), inherited from Old High German irfolgēn (“to persecute”), formed with the prefix er- from folgen. The same formation…

It is inherited from Middle High German ervüllen, inherited from Old High German irfullen, inherited from Proto-West Germanic *uʀfullijan, a prefixed form of füllen with er-. The same formation is…

It is inherited from Middle High German erschīnen, inherited from Old High German irskīnan, inherited from Proto-West Germanic *uʀskīnan, formed with the prefix er- from the verb that is now…

It is inherited from Middle High German ëȥ, inherited from Old High German iȥ, inherited from Proto-Germanic *it. The same word is Gothic 𐌹𐍄𐌰 (ita) and Old Saxon it, and it survives as Low German…

It is inherited from Middle High German varn, inherited from Old High German faran, inherited from Proto-Germanic *faraną (“to go, travel”). The same verb is Gothic 𐍆𐌰𐍂𐌰𐌽 (faran), Old Norse fara…

It is inherited from Middle High German vallen, inherited from Old High German fallan, inherited from Proto-West Germanic *fallan, inherited from Proto-Germanic *fallaną (“to fall”). The same verb…

It is inherited from Middle High German vaste, inherited from Old High German fasto (“firmly, securely; very”), inherited from Proto-West Germanic *fastō, the adverb without umlaut that belongs to…

It is inherited from Middle High German vrī, inherited from Old High German frī, inherited from Proto-West Germanic *frī, inherited from Proto-Germanic *frijaz (“free”). The same word is Gothic…

It is inherited from Middle High German vröuwen, inherited from Old High German frewen (also frouwen), inherited from Proto-West Germanic *frauwjan (“to gladden”). It is a factitive verb formed on…

It is inherited from Middle High German gedanc, inherited from Old High German gidanc, inherited from Proto-West Germanic *ga-þanka- (“thought”). The same word is Old Saxon githanko, Middle Low…

It is inherited from Middle High German gelt, inherited from Old High German gelt (“payment, reward”), inherited from Proto-West Germanic *geld, inherited from Proto-Germanic *geldą (“payment…

It is inherited from Middle High German gerāten, inherited from Old High German girātan (“to advise, decide”), inherited from Proto-West Germanic *garādan, inherited from Proto-Germanic *garēdaną…

It is inherited from Middle High German gewis, inherited from Old High German giwis, inherited from Proto-Germanic *gawissaz (“known, certain”). The same word is Gothic 𐌿𐌽𐍅𐌹𐍃𐍃 (unwiss, “uncertain”)…

It is inherited from Middle High German hāhen, inherited from Old High German hāhan (“to hang up, crucify”), inherited from Proto-Germanic *hanhaną (“to hang”), a strong verb, blended with hangen…

It is inherited from Middle High German hiute, inherited from Old High German hiutu, contracted from the instrumental phrase *hiu tagu (“on this day”), inherited from Proto-West Germanic *hiu dagu…

It is inherited from Middle High German hœren, inherited from Old High German hōren, inherited from Proto-Germanic *hauzijaną (“to hear”). The same verb is Gothic 𐌷𐌰𐌿𐍃𐌾𐌰𐌽 (hausjan), Old Norse heyra…

It is inherited from Middle High German jüdisch, inherited from Old High German judeisc, borrowed from Latin iūdaeus (“Jewish, Judaean”), with the Latin ending replaced by the suffix -isc, which…

It is inherited from Middle High German kleine, inherited from Old High German kleini, inherited from Proto-West Germanic *klainī (“fine, dainty”). The same West Germanic adjective is Old Saxon…

It is inherited from Middle High German komen, inherited from Old High German queman, inherited from Proto-West Germanic *kweman, inherited from Proto-Germanic *kwemaną, from Proto-Indo-European…

It is inherited from Middle High German künftic, inherited from Old High German kumftīg, formed from Old High German kumft (“coming, arrival”) + -īg: properly “about to come, characterised by…

It is inherited from Middle High German lancsam, inherited from Old High German langsam, inherited from Proto-West Germanic *langasam (“lengthy, long-lasting”), formed from lang with the suffix…

It is inherited from Middle High German ligen, inherited from Old High German liggen, inherited from Proto-West Germanic *liggjan, inherited from Proto-Germanic *ligjaną (“to lie”). The same strong…

It is inherited from Middle High German lœsen, inherited from Old High German lōsen, inherited from Proto-West Germanic *lausijan, inherited from Proto-Germanic *lausijaną (“to make loose, set…

It is inherited from Middle High German nennen, inherited from Old High German nemnen, inherited from Proto-West Germanic *namnijan, inherited from Proto-Germanic *namnijaną (“to name”), a verb…

It is inherited from Middle High German ort, inherited from Old High German ort (“point, tip”), inherited from Proto-West Germanic *oʀd, inherited from Proto-Germanic *uzdaz (“point”). The same word…

It is inherited from Middle High German rede, inherited from Old High German reda, inherited from Proto-Germanic *raþjǭ (“account, reckoning”). Old High German also has the forms redia and radia…

It is inherited from Middle High German reichen, inherited from Old High German reihhen (“to extend, reach”), inherited from Proto-West Germanic *raikijan (“to reach”). A by-form Old High German…

It is inherited from Middle High German reine, inherited from Old High German reini, inherited from Proto-West Germanic *hrainī, inherited from Proto-Germanic *hrainiz (“clean, pure”). The same…

It is inherited from Middle High German ruofen, inherited from Old High German (h)ruofan, inherited from Proto-West Germanic *hrōpan, inherited from Proto-Germanic *hrōpaną (“to cry out, call”). The…

It is inherited from Middle High German samelen, a late Middle High German form that arose by dissimilation of /n/ to /l/ from the older samenen, inherited from Old High German samanōn (“to gather…

It is inherited from Middle High German schillinc, inherited from Old High German skilling, inherited from Proto-Germanic *skillingaz. The same word is Gothic 𐍃𐌺𐌹𐌻𐌻𐌹𐌲𐌲𐍃 (skilliggs), Old Norse…

It is inherited from Middle High German swarz, inherited from Old High German swarz, inherited from Proto-West Germanic *swart, inherited from Proto-Germanic *swartaz (“black”). The same word is Old…

It is inherited from Middle High German sīte, inherited from Old High German sīta, inherited from Proto-Germanic *sīdǭ (“side, flank”). The same word is Old Saxon sīda, Old English sīde, Old Frisian…

It is inherited from Middle High German sëlten, inherited from Old High German seltan, inherited from Proto-West Germanic *seldanā, inherited from Proto-Germanic *seldanē (“seldom”), formed from a…

It is inherited from Middle High German sige, inherited from Old High German sigu, inherited from Proto-Germanic *segaz (“victory”). The same word is Gothic 𐍃𐌹𐌲𐌹𐍃 (sigis), Old Norse sigr, Old…

It is inherited from Middle High German sinken, inherited from Old High German sinkan, inherited from Proto-West Germanic *sinkwan, inherited from Proto-Germanic *sinkwaną (“to sink”), a strong…