Where does “witwassen” come from?

witwassen (Dutch) comes from Dutch wassen, from Dutch was, from Middle Dutch was, from Middle Dutch wassen, from Old Dutch wassan, from Proto-West Germanic wahsan, from Proto-Germanic wahsijaną, from Indo-European *h₂weks-.

witwassen (Dutch): to wash up, clean especially with a whitening...

Definitions

  1. to wash up, clean especially with a whitening...

Ancestry of “witwassen”, step by step

witwassen traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Dutch wassen

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Dutchwassento wash, to clean; to grow, to rise, to increase,...
2Dutchwaslaundry, clothes that need to be washed, or just...
3Middle Dutchwasfirst/third-person singular past indicative of...
4Middle Dutchwassento grow, to wax; to increase
5Old Dutchwassanto grow, to wax; to rise in level
6Proto-West Germanicwahsanto grow
7Proto-Germanicwahsijanąto grow
8Indo-European*h₂weks-

via Dutch wit

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Dutchwitwhite; having a white skin colour, light-skinned;...
2Middle Dutchwitwhite; clean; pale
3Old Dutchwītwhite
4Proto-GermanicwitAlternative form of *wet
5Proto-Germanic*wet
6Proto-Indo-Europeanwéywe
7Proto-Indo-Europeanéǵh₂I
Every word from Indo-European *h₂weks-
witwassen — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer