German words from Old High German
623 German words with Old High German in their history, whether borrowed directly or passed on through other languages (page 6).
lange
It is inherited from Middle High German lange, also langen, inherited from Old High German lango (“for a long time, long ago”), the adverb of the adjective lang. The adjective is lang, from…
langsam
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…
lassen
It is inherited from Middle High German lāzen, inherited from Old High German lāzan, inherited from Proto-West Germanic *lātan, inherited from Proto-Germanic *lētaną (“to let, leave behind”)…
Lauf
It is inherited from Middle High German louf, inherited from Old High German hlouf, inherited from Proto-Germanic *hlaupą (“leap; course, run”), the noun of the verb laufen. The same noun is Middle…
laufen
It is inherited from Middle High German loufen, inherited from Old High German hloufan, inherited from Proto-West Germanic *hlaupan, inherited from Proto-Germanic *hlaupaną (“to leap forward”)…
laut
It is inherited from Middle High German lūt, inherited from Old High German lūt, also hlūt and chlūd, inherited from Proto-West Germanic *hlūd (“loud”). The same adjective is Old English hlūd, Old…
lauten
It is inherited from Middle High German lūten (“to sound, ring”), inherited from Old High German hlūtēn, inherited from Proto-West Germanic *hlūdēn (“to sound”), a verb formed from the adjective…
leben
It is inherited from Middle High German leben, inherited from Old High German lebēn, inherited from Proto-West Germanic *libbjan, inherited from Proto-Germanic *libjaną (“to live”). Kluge and…
Leben
It is inherited from Middle High German leben, inherited from Old High German lebēn (“life, way of life”), the infinitive of the verb leben used as a noun. In the older language the word for “life”…
legen
It is inherited from Middle High German legen, inherited from Old High German leggen, inherited from Proto-West Germanic *laggjan, inherited from Proto-Germanic *lagjaną (“to lay”). The same verb is…
Lehrer
It is inherited from Middle High German lērære, inherited from Old High German lērāri, the agent noun of lehren (“to teach”), lēren. The same formation is Gothic 𐌻𐌰𐌹𐍃𐌰𐍂𐌴𐌹𐍃 (laisareis) Old Saxon…
leicht
It is inherited from Middle High German līht(e), inherited from Old High German līhti, inherited from Proto-West Germanic *lį̄ht, inherited from Proto-Germanic *linhtaz (“light in weight”). The same…
leider
It is inherited from Middle High German leider, inherited from Old High German leidōr, leidor, originally the comparative of the adverb leido (leide), which goes with the adjective leid. The…
leisten
It is inherited from Middle High German leisten, inherited from Old High German leisten, inherited from Proto-West Germanic *laistijan, inherited from Proto-Germanic *laistijaną (“to follow”). The…
leiten
It is inherited from Middle High German leiten, inherited from Old High German leiten, also leitōn, inherited from Proto-West Germanic *laidijan, inherited from Proto-Germanic *laidijaną (“to cause…
lernen
It is inherited from Middle High German lernen, inherited from Old High German lernēn (Upper German lirnēn), inherited from Proto-West Germanic *liʀnōn (“to learn”). The same verb is Old Saxon…
lesen
It is inherited from Middle High German lesen, inherited from Old High German lesan, inherited from Proto-Germanic *lesaną (“to gather, pick”). The same strong verb is Gothic 𐌻𐌹𐍃𐌰𐌽 (lisan, “to…
letzt
It is inherited from Middle High German lezzist, contracted lest, inherited from Old High German lezzist, beside lazzōst, the superlative of the adjective that survives as lass “weary, slack” (laz)…
Leute
It is inherited from Middle High German liute, inherited from Old High German liuti, inherited from Proto-West Germanic *liudi, inherited from Proto-Germanic *liudīz (“people”), the plural of a noun…
Licht
It is inherited from Middle High German lieht, inherited from Old High German lioht, inherited from Proto-West Germanic *leuht, inherited from Proto-Germanic *leuhtą (“light”), the adjective licht…
lieb
It is inherited from Middle High German liep, inherited from Old High German liob, inherited from Proto-West Germanic *leub, inherited from Proto-Germanic *leubaz (“dear, beloved”). Kluge takes the…
Liebe
It is inherited from Middle High German liebe, inherited from Old High German liubī, an abstract noun formed only in German from the adjective lieb (“dear”), liob. A form lioba appears beside it…
Lied
It is inherited from Middle High German liet, inherited from Old High German liod, inherited from Proto-West Germanic *leuþ (“song”), inherited from Proto-Germanic *leuþą (“song, lay”). Kluge…
liegen
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…
lösen
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…
Lösung
It is inherited from Middle High German lœsunge (also lōsunge), inherited from Old High German lōsunga (“redemption, ransom”), the noun of lösen with -ung. Wiktionary traces it further to Proto-West…
Luft
It is inherited from Middle High German luft, inherited from Old High German luft, inherited from Proto-West Germanic *luftu, inherited from Proto-Germanic *luftuz (“air”). The same word is Gothic…
machen
It is inherited from Middle High German machen, inherited from Old High German mahhōn, inherited from Proto-West Germanic *makōn, a weak verb found only in West Germanic. The same word is Old Saxon…
Macht
It is inherited from Middle High German maht, inherited from Old High German maht, inherited from Proto-Germanic *mahtiz (“might, power”). The same word is Gothic 𐌼𐌰𐌷𐍄𐍃 (mahts), Old English meaht or…
Mai
It is inherited from Middle High German meie, inherited from Old High German meio, borrowed from Latin Māius (“May”), short for mēnsis Māius (“the month of May”). Kluge and the EWA explain the Latin…
mal
It is a shortening of einmal, which was itself formed in the 16th century from the accusative phrase meaning “one time”, with the noun Mal “point in time”. The multiplication sense comes directly…
Mal
1. The noun meaning “time” is inherited from Middle High German māl, inherited from Old High German māl (“point in time”), inherited from Proto-West Germanic *māl, inherited from Proto-Germanic…
man
It is inherited from Middle High German man, inherited from Old High German man, inherited from Proto-West Germanic *mann, inherited from Proto-Germanic *mann- (“person”): the nominative singular of…
manch
It is inherited from Middle High German manec, inherited from Old High German manag (“many a, much”), inherited from Proto-Germanic *managaz (“many”). The same word is Gothic 𐌼𐌰𐌽𐌰𐌲𐍃 (manags, “much…
Mann
It is inherited from Middle High German man, inherited from Old High German man, inherited from Proto-West Germanic *mann, inherited from Proto-Germanic *mann- (“man, person”). Kluge sets up an…
Markt
It is inherited from Middle High German market, inherited from Old High German markāt, borrowed from Late Latin marcātus, a variant of Latin mercātus (“trade, purchase, market”), a noun from mercor…
März
It is inherited from Middle High German merze, inherited from Old High German merzo, borrowed from Latin Mārtius (“(month) of Mars”), the month dedicated to the war god Mārs, which was the first…
mehr
It is inherited from Middle High German mēr, mēre, inherited from Old High German mēro, mēr, inherited from Proto-West Germanic *maiʀō, inherited from Proto-Germanic *maizô, the comparative of viel…
mein
It is inherited from Middle High German mīn, inherited from Old High German mīn, inherited from Proto-West Germanic *mīn, inherited from Proto-Germanic *mīnaz (“my, mine”). The same word is Gothic…
meinen
It is inherited from Middle High German meinen, inherited from Old High German meinen, inherited from Proto-Germanic *mainijaną (“to mean, think”). The verb is found only in West Germanic: the same…
Meinung
It is inherited from Middle High German meinunge, inherited from Old High German meinunga, formed with the suffix -unga from the verb meinen, modern meinen. The same formation is found in Middle Low…
meist
It is inherited from Middle High German meist, inherited from Old High German meist, inherited from Proto-Germanic *maistaz (“most”). The same superlative is Old Saxon mēst, Old Norse mestr, Old…
Meister
It is inherited from Middle High German meister, inherited from Old High German meistar, borrowed from Latin magister (“master, chief, teacher”), borrowed in the 8th century, as was Old English…
melden
It is inherited from Middle High German melden (“to tell, announce, betray”), inherited from Old High German meldōn (“to denounce, betray”), inherited from Proto-West Germanic *melþōn (“to point…
Menge
It is inherited from Middle High German menige, inherited from Old High German managī, inherited from Proto-Germanic *managį̄ (“multitude”). It is an abstract noun formed to the adjective…
Mensch
It is inherited from Middle High German mensche, inherited from Old High German mennisco, mannisco, a noun use of the adjective mennisc (“human”), inherited from Proto-West Germanic *mannisk…
mir
It is inherited from Middle High German mir, inherited from Old High German mir, inherited from Proto-Germanic *miz. The same form is Gothic 𐌼𐌹𐍃 (mis) and Old Norse mér, and Old English mē, Old…
mit
It is inherited from Middle High German mit, inherited from Old High German mit, inherited from Proto-West Germanic *midi, inherited from Proto-Germanic *midi (“with”). The same word is Gothic 𐌼𐌹𐌸…
Mitte
It is inherited from Middle High German mitte, inherited from Old High German mittī, inherited from Proto-Germanic *midjǭ (“middle”). Old High German also had a neuter noun mitti, used by Otfrid and…
Mittwoch
It is inherited from Middle High German mittewoche, inherited from Old High German mittawehha, a compound from Old High German mitti (“middle”) + wehha (“week”), that is “the middle of the week”. It…
mögen
It is inherited from Middle High German mügen, inherited from Old High German mugan, also magan, inherited from Proto-West Germanic *magan, inherited from Proto-Germanic *maganą (“to be able”), a…
Monat
It is inherited from Middle High German mānōt, inherited from Old High German mānōd, inherited from Proto-West Germanic *mānōþ, inherited from Proto-Germanic *mēnōþs. The same word is Gothic 𐌼𐌴𐌽𐍉𐌸𐍃…
Montag
It is inherited from Middle High German mōntac, inherited from Old High German mānetag, inherited from Proto-West Germanic *Mānini dag (“day of the moon”), a loan translation from Latin diēs Lūnae…
morgen
It is inherited from Middle High German morgene, inherited from Old High German morgane, the dative singular of the noun Morgen “morning” used as an adverb, properly “in the morning”. The noun with…
Morgen
It is inherited from Middle High German morgen, inherited from Old High German morgan, inherited from Proto-Germanic *murginaz (“morning”). The same word is Gothic 𐌼𐌰𐌿𐍂𐌲𐌹𐌽𐍃 (maurgins), Old Norse…
Müller
It is inherited from Middle High German müller, inherited from Old High German mulināri, borrowed from Late Latin molīnārius (“miller”), borrowed in the 11th century. The Latin noun belongs to…
müssen
It is inherited from Middle High German müezen, inherited from Old High German muozan, inherited from Proto-West Germanic *mōtan, inherited from Proto-Germanic *mōtaną, a preterite-present verb…
Mutter
It is inherited from Middle High German muoter, inherited from Old High German muoter, inherited from Proto-West Germanic *mōder, inherited from Proto-Germanic *mōdēr (“mother”). The same word is…
nach
It is inherited from Middle High German nāch, inherited from Old High German nāh, inherited from Proto-West Germanic *nāhw, inherited from Proto-Germanic *nēhw (“near”). It was originally the adverb…
Nacht
It is inherited from Middle High German naht, inherited from Old High German naht, inherited from Proto-West Germanic *naht, inherited from Proto-Germanic *nahts (“night”). The same word is Gothic…