Where does “knae” come from?

knae (Afrikaans) comes from Dutch knagen, from Middle Dutch cnagen, from Old Dutch gnagan, from Proto-Germanic gnaganą, from Proto-Indo-European gʰnēgʰ- — to gnaw, scratch.

knae (Afrikaans): to gnaw

Definitions

  1. to gnaw

Ancestry of “knae”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Dutchknagento gnaw
2Middle Dutchcnagento gnaw; to eat away
3Old Dutchgnagan—
4Proto-Germanicgnaganąto gnaw
5Proto-Indo-Europeangʰnēgʰ-to gnaw, scratch
Every word from Proto-Indo-European gʰnēgʰ- →Every word from Proto-Germanic gnaganą →Every word from Old Dutch gnagan →