Where does “nek” come from?
nek (Afrikaans) comes from Dutch nek, from Middle Dutch nacke, from Old Dutch nakko, from Proto-Germanic *hnakkō, from Proto-Indo-European knog-, from Proto-Indo-European ken- — to arise, begin.
nek (Afrikaans): neck
Ancestry of “nek”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Dutch | nek | Nape of the neck; Neck |
| 2 | Middle Dutch | nacke | — |
| 3 | Old Dutch | nakko | — |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | *hnakkō | — |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | knog- | back of the head, nape, neck |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | ken- | to arise, begin |