Where does “achteromkijken” come from?

achteromkijken (Dutch) comes from Dutch achterom, from Dutch achter, from Middle Dutch achter, from Old Dutch after, from Proto-West Germanic *aftar, from Proto-Germanic after, from Proto-Indo-European h₂epoteros — further behind, further away.

achteromkijken (Dutch): to look back over the shoulder; to contemplate...

Definitions

  1. to look back over the shoulder; to contemplate...

Ancestry of “achteromkijken”, step by step

achteromkijken traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Dutch achterom

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Dutchachteromaround; behind, backwards
2Dutchachterbehind; beyond
3Middle Dutchachterbehind; through, past; after
4Old Dutchafter—
5Proto-West Germanic*aftarafter, behind
6Proto-Germanicafterafter, behind
7Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂epoterosfurther behind, further away

via Dutch kijken

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Dutchkijkento look
2Middle Dutchkīkento look, to direct the eyes
3Old Dutchkīkan—
4Proto-West Germanickīkanto look, to peep
5Proto-Germanickīkanąto look, peep
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂epoteros →Every word from Proto-Germanic after →Every word from Proto-West Germanic *aftar →