German words from Proto-Germanic
445 German words with Proto-Germanic in their history, whether borrowed directly or passed on through other languages (page 4).
je
It is inherited from Middle High German ie, inherited from Old High German io, inherited from Proto-Germanic *aiwin (“always, ever”). The same adverb is Old Saxon eo, Old Norse æ, Old English ā and…
jeder
It is inherited from Middle High German ieweder, inherited from Old High German iowedar, older eohwedar and eogiwedar, inherited from Proto-West Germanic *aiwin-gi-hweþera- (“each of two”). The same…
jener
It is inherited from Middle High German jener, inherited from Old High German jenēr, inherited from Proto-West Germanic *jain, inherited from Proto-Germanic *jainaz (“that over there”). Related…
Jugend
It is inherited from Middle High German jugent, inherited from Old High German jugund, inherited from Proto-West Germanic *jugunþi (“youth”). The same word is Old Saxon juguð, Old English geoguþ…
jung
It is inherited from Middle High German junc, inherited from Old High German jung, inherited from Proto-Germanic *jungaz (“young”). The same word is Gothic 𐌾𐌿𐌲𐌲𐍃 (juggs), Old Saxon jung, Old Norse…
kämpfen
It is inherited from Middle High German kempfen, inherited from Old High German kempfan, inherited from Proto-West Germanic *kampijan (“to battle”), formed from the noun Kampf, Old High German…
kaufen
It is inherited from Middle High German koufen, inherited from Old High German koufōn, inherited from Proto-West Germanic *kaupōn, inherited from Proto-Germanic *kaupōną (“to trade, buy”). The same…
kein
It is inherited from Middle High German kein, a shortening of nekein and enkein, inherited from Old High German nihein, inherited from Proto-West Germanic *nehwain, originally “and not one”. The Old…
kennen
It is inherited from Middle High German kennen, inherited from Old High German kennen, inherited from Proto-West Germanic *kannijan, inherited from Proto-Germanic *kannijaną (“to make known”). The…
Kind
It is inherited from Middle High German kint, inherited from Old High German kind, inherited from Proto-West Germanic *kind, inherited from Proto-Germanic *kinþą (“child”). Kluge and Pfeifer take…
Kirche
It is inherited from Middle High German kirche, inherited from Old High German kirihha, inherited from Proto-West Germanic *kirikā, borrowed from Ancient Greek κυρικόν (kūrikón, “house of God”), a…
klein
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…
kommen
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…
König
It is inherited from Middle High German künec, inherited from Old High German kuning, inherited from Proto-West Germanic *kuning, inherited from Proto-Germanic *kuningaz (“king”). The same word is…
können
It is inherited from Middle High German kunnen or künnen, inherited from Old High German kunnan, inherited from Proto-West Germanic *kunnan, inherited from Proto-Germanic *kunnaną (“to know, be…
kosten
1. The verb meaning “to cost” is inherited from Middle High German kosten, borrowed from Old French coster (“to cost”) (now French coûter). Pfeifer dates the borrowing to about 1200, on the Middle…
Kraft
It is inherited from Middle High German kraft, inherited from Old High German kraft, inherited from Proto-West Germanic *kraftu, inherited from Proto-Germanic *kraftuz (“strength, power”). Kluge…
Kreis
It is inherited from Middle High German kreiz, inherited from Old High German kreiz (“circle, circuit, district”), inherited from Proto-West Germanic *krait, inherited from Proto-Germanic *kraitaz…
Krieg
It is inherited from Middle High German kriec, inherited from Old High German krieg (also kreg), inherited from Proto-West Germanic *krīg. The word is found only in German and Dutch, with Middle Low…
Kunst
It is inherited from Middle High German kunst, inherited from Old High German kunst, inherited from Proto-Germanic *kunstiz (“knowledge, ability”). It is an abstract noun of the verb können, formed…
Land
It is inherited from Middle High German lant, inherited from Old High German lant, inherited from Proto-West Germanic *land, inherited from Proto-Germanic *landą (“land”). The same word is Gothic…
lang
It is inherited from Middle High German lanc, inherited from Old High German lang, inherited from Proto-West Germanic *lang, inherited from Proto-Germanic *langaz (“long”). The same word is Gothic…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…