Where does “versmallen” come from?
versmallen (Dutch) comes from Dutch smal, from Middle Dutch smal, from Old Dutch smal, from Proto-Germanic smalaz, from Proto-Indo-European (s)mal- — small; little.
versmallen (Dutch): to narrow, narrow down
Definitions
- to narrow, narrow down
Ancestry of “versmallen”, step by step
versmallen traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Dutch smal
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dutch | smal | narrow |
| 2 | Middle Dutch | smal | — |
| 3 | Old Dutch | smal | small |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | smalaz | small |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)mal- | small; little |
via Dutch ver- -en
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dutch | ver- -en | Forms factitive or ergative verbs from adjectives, meaning "to make more (adjective)" or "to become (adjective)" |