Etymologically

Proto-Germanic etymology in numbers

Counted from the etymologies of the 267 Proto-Germanic entries in this dictionary, and recounted every few hours as entries are added. See also Proto-Germanic words by origin.

Borrowed, inherited or formed

Each entry counted once: as borrowed if its etymology names a language it was taken from, else as inherited, else as formed within Proto-Germanic.

  • Borrowed 0% · 1 taken from another language
  • Inherited 96% · 257 passed down from an ancestor of Proto-Germanic
  • Formed in Proto-Germanic 2% · 6 compounds and derivatives of its own words
  • Not traced yet 1% · 3 no etymology links yet

Ultimate origins by language family

Where the 258 traced words end up when their etymologies are followed back as far as they go, from entry to entry, grouped into families and the branches of Indo-European.

  1. Indo-European 250 · 97% Proto-Indo-European 250
  2. Germanic 7 · 3% Proto-Germanic 7
  3. Italic 1 · 0% Latin 1

Words other languages took from Proto-Germanic

65 entries of other languages in this dictionary were borrowed from Proto-Germanic or its earlier stages.

  1. English 20 so, leach, woof, bequeath
  2. Latin 20 marca, mariscus, framea, lista
  3. Spanish 6 blanco, sala, gualda, banco
  4. French 5 harpe, banc, fourrer, hanche
  5. Dutch 4 zaak, wereld, telen, ontmoeten
  6. Italian 4 bianco, bosco, fresco, bruno
  7. German 3 mal, rechts, zufolge
  8. Old Church Slavonic 1 кънѧѕь
  9. Old Norse 1 sœmiligr
  10. Portuguese 1 sopa

Most prolific roots

The words that the most Proto-Germanic entries go back to, at the far end of their etymologies.

  1. 3 Proto-Indo-European *Hrewp- → *reufaną, *raubaz, *raubōną
  2. 3 Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁- → *dōną, *dailiz, *wīdaz
  3. 3 Proto-Indo-European *seh₂g- → *sakaną, *sōkijaną, *sakō
  4. 3 Proto-Indo-European *steh₂- → *stāną, *standaną, *stallaz
  5. 3 Proto-Indo-European *weǵʰ- → *weganą, *wegaz, *wagnaz
  6. 3 Proto-Indo-European *ǵneh₃- → *kunnaną, *kunją, *kannijaną
  7. 2 Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker- → *skeraną, *harduz
  8. 2 Proto-Indo-European *(s)kerb- → *skarpaz, *harpǭ
  9. 2 Proto-Indo-European *(s)kewH- → *hūsą, *skūmaz
  10. 2 Proto-Indo-European *bʰerH- → *barō, *brūnaz
  11. 2 Proto-Indo-European *bʰleyǵ- → *blīkaną, *blaikaz
  12. 2 Proto-Indo-European *bʰreg- → *brekaną, *brōks
  13. 2 Proto-Indo-European *bʰuH- → *būaną, *buskaz
  14. 2 Proto-Indo-European *h₂el- → *allaz, *alaną
  15. 2 Proto-Indo-European *h₂neḱ- → *nēhw, *nēhwaz